Divine Appointments

Yesterday I was sitting at a table in Caribou Coffee; it’s one of the places I like to work when I’m not in the office.  The only seat that was available was at a large table where two ladies were having a conversation and a guy was reading.  It turns out the guy was one of the veterinarians that we take our dogs to.  I reintroduced myself and then we began to chat.  He was reading about the importance of meditation, especially when it comes to reading scripture.  We had an interesting conversation about that.

The ladies sitting across from us were speaking another language.  Dr. Voell evidently recognized it as being Russian and began a conversation.  I listened as he began asking them where they were from in Russia and telling them how he met his wife while in Moscow on a mission trip with his church.  He subtly wove his faith into the conversation.  The ladies seemed to really enjoy the conversation; especially when he tired to speak the few Russian words he learned twenty years ago.  As the two of them left, Dr. Voell handed one of them a small book – the Gospel of John.

Now I don’t think Dr. Voell is the kind of Christian that goes around jumping into conversations and bombarding people with his faith.  He is, however, the kind of follower of Christ that all of us should be – one who looks for natural opportunities to share his faith and make the Gospel more appealing.  He had a connection with those two ladies; he spoke their language (literally) and had been to there country.  He had an in that I didn’t have and he saw he opportunity.

I believe those kinds of experiences are “divine appointments and we all have them, probably everyday.  But we have to look for them.  We have to slow down.  We have to be open and willing to allow God to use us wherever we are.  And yes, we have to risk getting out of our comfort zone.

Have you had an experience like that lately; an opportunity to share something that you know about God or faith with someone in a way that was unplanned and unexpected?  I’d love to hear your story.