Inconveniences or Opportunities?
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Al and I were signed up to go with our two youngest grandsons on a work day with their church youth group, but ended up having to miss it. A doctor’s appointment over the phone resulted in my having to get a test for COVID 19 on the day of the trip.
As Winnie the Pooh would say, “Oh bother!” (A.A. Milne) I would have much rather gone on the mission trip! Al was kind enough to drive me to the urgent care referred by the doctor and sat with me in the car while I waited to be tested.
It took two hours for a nurse to finally come to our car; but in the meantime, we struck up a conversation with the young man in the vehicle next to ours. He, James, was angry, because he had been the first person to arrive at the urgent care that morning and still hadn’t been able to see anyone.
James was just beginning a twoweek quarantine because he had been exposed to the virus by his parents. A switch! His boss insisted he get tested right away, worried James had exposed the other employees, as well as others.
We had a great conversation with him and made sure the nurse was notified of his long wait in the parking lot. What started out as an inconvenience turned out to be a blessing and an opportunity to befriend an anxious young man.
Only a few days passed before another “Oh bother!” episode happened, with an unusual online charge made to our credit card. When the “red flag” showed up on the credit report, it was about an hour before friends would be gathering at our house for a Saturday morning worship service.
What to do? Should we just wait to contact a representative about the account or try to do it before the service? The idea of waiting was a little nerve wracking, especially since someone might continue making purchases using the information on our credit card.
I decided to call hoping it wouldn’t take too long. Once on the phone, I impatiently went through the taped commands twice before connecting with a real person. Whew! The minutes were ticking away.
After explaining the problem to Reiner, a company representative, he put me on hold while looking up our account. I decided not to fret, but rather to pray for him. When Reiner came back on the line a few minutes later, he reassured me our account was OK. I didn’t question him further, just thanked him and was ready to hang up.
But then I told him we were going to have a “Bible Study” in just a few minutes and asked if there was anything we could pray for. Reiner’s voice got soft as he went on to say he had two sons whom he hadn’t been able to see for the last six months due to a breakup with their mom — his “exgirlfriend.”
He sounded heartbroken. I told him we would indeed pray for a resolution to his situation. Before hanging up, I thanked him… and he thanked me!
We joined our hearts together during the service that morning in praying for Reiner, who now seemed more than just a voice on the other end of the line. Rather, this was a person who was hurting and who wanted to share his story. My aggravation was gone, replaced by gratitude for the opportunity the Lord had provided.
Al ended up calling the same company later that morning just to clarify things. A different representative confirmed our account was OK, explaining it was from one of the purchases I had previously made. What a relief!
Recently when a tooth began to hurt, I felt the same urge to groan, “Oh bother!” It meant setting up a dental appointment — one that might be costly. Then I remembered James and Reiner, and wondered who the Lord would have me meet next!
Father, help us make the most of every opportunity to reach out to and love others. Please give us words of wisdom and grace… words that will draw them to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
* Colossians 4: 5- 6 NIV
Judy Lowery is a former resident of Springville and lives in Michigan. The Good News column appears on the Religion pages of the Recorder. You can read more at Judy’s blog, goodnewswithjudy.blogspots.com