Earlier this week I had one of those days when nothing seemed to happen at the right time, and everything seemed to take longer than planned - you ever have those days? please tell me you do, and that it's not just me who struggles to get the to-do list to fit in with the number of hours in the day!
Anyway, on this particular day, something happened that left me reflecting on the difference between my thoughts on the schedule for the day, and God's view on my schedule; and a reminder that my perspective is so little compared to His.
As I said, the day wasn't going at the pace I'd hoped, and so it was 4.30pm before I got to the post office, rather than lunchtime as planned. The post office in Thornbury is at the back of the Co-op, and as I came out, I bumped into (metaphorically, not literally, quite) Jocelyn, a young mum who I had met 2 years back when she came on an Alpha course at church.
Jocelyn had happened to lend Natalie some books linked to Nat's geography studies, and the books were still waiting to be returned, something I mentioned in passing as we stood doing a quick hello. Jocelyn's reply - 'you'd better be quick then, we move to Delhi in two weeks' - was not what I was expecting!
Despite both of us being in a hurry for different reasons we had a quick further chat enough for her to explain why they were moving to Delhi, and me to mention that Natalie would be in Delhi at the end of February for a couple of days. We parted after Jocelyn had given me her e-mail address and phone number and invited Natalie to go and stay!
The key thing about this story is that for the past few weeks I have been receiving FCO alerts about the increasing concerns for safety of female travellers in Delhi, due to increasing reports of sexual harassment and attacks. Natalie was aware of the situation, but the plane ticket required her to be going to Delhi, and we had both been praying that she would find someone she could travel with on those days, or stay with, so that she wouldn't be alone.
So, the meeting with Jocelyn was an amazing answer to prayer - Natalie now has somewhere to stay in Delhi, plus someone who can drive her to airport, and a little taste of Britain within it all. And Jocelyn will have someone to stay who can play with the children, help unpack a few boxes, and talk about international development issues - a subject close to both their hearts.
I love the way that God is so much bigger than our schedules, and that He knows the right time for things to happen. If I'd gone to the post office when I'd intended to, I'd not have met Jocelyn that day, and the subsequent conversation and all that has come from it wouldn't have happened. So maybe I wasn't running 3 hours late but instead was fitting in with God's timing rather than mine which was 3 hours out!
Our little perspective on life is so relatively narrow compared to God's - for me this little encounter was two things:
one, it was a lesson to let go of worrying about timings so much, and instead to focus on having God as my guide, rather than just the wristwatch!
And it was a reminder to let go of trying to work out how and when God will answer prayers, and instead to just keep living life for Him, and be ready for the delights and surprises, of prayers answered in unique, special and unexpected ways.
Anyway, on this particular day, something happened that left me reflecting on the difference between my thoughts on the schedule for the day, and God's view on my schedule; and a reminder that my perspective is so little compared to His.
As I said, the day wasn't going at the pace I'd hoped, and so it was 4.30pm before I got to the post office, rather than lunchtime as planned. The post office in Thornbury is at the back of the Co-op, and as I came out, I bumped into (metaphorically, not literally, quite) Jocelyn, a young mum who I had met 2 years back when she came on an Alpha course at church.
Jocelyn had happened to lend Natalie some books linked to Nat's geography studies, and the books were still waiting to be returned, something I mentioned in passing as we stood doing a quick hello. Jocelyn's reply - 'you'd better be quick then, we move to Delhi in two weeks' - was not what I was expecting!
Despite both of us being in a hurry for different reasons we had a quick further chat enough for her to explain why they were moving to Delhi, and me to mention that Natalie would be in Delhi at the end of February for a couple of days. We parted after Jocelyn had given me her e-mail address and phone number and invited Natalie to go and stay!
The key thing about this story is that for the past few weeks I have been receiving FCO alerts about the increasing concerns for safety of female travellers in Delhi, due to increasing reports of sexual harassment and attacks. Natalie was aware of the situation, but the plane ticket required her to be going to Delhi, and we had both been praying that she would find someone she could travel with on those days, or stay with, so that she wouldn't be alone.
So, the meeting with Jocelyn was an amazing answer to prayer - Natalie now has somewhere to stay in Delhi, plus someone who can drive her to airport, and a little taste of Britain within it all. And Jocelyn will have someone to stay who can play with the children, help unpack a few boxes, and talk about international development issues - a subject close to both their hearts.
I love the way that God is so much bigger than our schedules, and that He knows the right time for things to happen. If I'd gone to the post office when I'd intended to, I'd not have met Jocelyn that day, and the subsequent conversation and all that has come from it wouldn't have happened. So maybe I wasn't running 3 hours late but instead was fitting in with God's timing rather than mine which was 3 hours out!
Our little perspective on life is so relatively narrow compared to God's - for me this little encounter was two things:
one, it was a lesson to let go of worrying about timings so much, and instead to focus on having God as my guide, rather than just the wristwatch!
And it was a reminder to let go of trying to work out how and when God will answer prayers, and instead to just keep living life for Him, and be ready for the delights and surprises, of prayers answered in unique, special and unexpected ways.
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