A neighbor invited me to go with her to a Bible study. I was surprised when I got there, here we were way out in the boonies of Chicagoland when this huge church appeared out of nowhere. And at that Bible study? Almost 150 women! I was stunned. They had us sit at large round tables for 12 and there were at least 12 tables. Lots of tables, lots of women. We will be sitting with the same 12 women for the next year. I'm sure that we will get to know each other real well.
One interesting thing that took place was this--the main leader asked us all to bring a coffee mug to Bible study the next week. OK--now I needed to think about which coffee mug I'd part with. I have a thing--I love mugs. I buy them as souvenirs to remind me of the places I've been. I buy them to look at and remember when, I buy them if they are cute, or have interesting things on them. Ok, I just buy them--it's an addiction that I can't control. One type of mug that I am especially prone to buy is a mug with my particular dog breed on it. I can't pass them up, those little brown doggie eyes beckon to me as I walk by. And it eventually ends up at my coffee bar--as my new favorite mug of the week.
So, in thinking about which mug to bring to the study I went down to my basement (where I store my extra mugs) and looked through them. Which one can I part with I wondered? I could grab a spiritual one--I'd look super good then! Maybe one with a verse on it, or one that says--I'm praying for you! My eyes kept drifting towards the dog breed mugs--I kept tearing them away--no, no dog breed mugs, those are mine! But I knew in the end, I'd have to give in, she was going to get one of my favorite mugs. It represented a part of who I was--a dog lover.
The next week we all filed into our great big room and were given a number. We were then told to find the other person in the room with the same number. She would be my prayer partner for the entire year. I began to call out 32, 32, 32 in a Farris Buhler type voice. I thought it was funny. I found her right away. We had fun exchanging mugs and sharing a little about each other. I found out that she had spent about 4 years living in my hometown. We swapped names and numbers and then went back to our tables.
Now on to the coincidence. The next week I received a phone call from a fellow Bible study gal who just so happened to sit at the same table as my new coffee mug friend. She noticed the dog breed mug and got all excited--it seems we shared the same breed. She asked my new mug buddy if she could possibly have my number, she called me and invited me over to play dog whisperer with her 2 dogs. So of course, I obliged--anything to see her dogs. We had a great time, I worked one dog and she worked the other as I trained and gave instruction. Her little pup was walking on a lead and shaping up in no time--what sweet dogs they were. We went to lunch afterward and then were able to really sit and talk and get to know each other.
I won't share our conversation--but have you ever been sitting somewhere and had the definite impression that you were right where God wanted you to be? I knew that I knew, that He had sent me there, and that she had found me via my coffee mug buddy. We've got lots in common, but more than that God set us up. A new neighbor, to Bible study, to dog mug, to mug buddy, to dog whispering, to lunch--it was a setup. He placed 2 women together from different walks of life, different towns, different Bible study tables and He drew them together via a coffee mug. Who woulda thought?
Coincidence? I think not. Devine appointment? I think so!
I don't know what the future holds, I only know that life is exciting when I let God be God. When I let Him set up these divine appointments for me--when I am open to meeting new people and open to new experiences. And I know that I don't believe in coincidences. I just don't.
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