One night my son and I and about fifty other people were invited to the Governor’s mansion for a reception with Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott. The place was filled with important businessmen and women; (and then there was my son and me. And before you ask we have no idea how, or why, we ended up in the mix). So what does one do at a gala event with such important people?
Hmmm . . . I decided to browse and gorge on shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops, and a small assortment of fruit. I munched away and in-between bites, made small talk to first one person and another, and then I saw a friend of mine who has been struggling with controlling his weight. I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly felt the urge to go over to the cookie assortment, grab a large oatmeal raisin cookie, and stand right in front of him and munch on it, all the while smiling my most wicked smile at him.
He acknowledged my taunting with his version of a “mean look” and a curt nod.
I browsed for a while and began making more small talk with the distinguished guests. I was standing there chatting with the CFO for Disney worldwide when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. When I turned to see who it was, no one was there. I looked over the other shoulder and the guy that I had taunted with the oatmeal cookie was walking by fast looking at me with a leer on his face. He made a fist and acted like he was pulling the lever on a slot machine and smirked, “Yeah!”
Touché! I thought that was quite the juvenile thing to do at such a dignified setting (but still had to admit it was a nice play) I was getting ready to walk over and tell him that he reminded me of the Pillsbury Doughboy with that fat belly protruding out of his suit when I remembered my devotional that concerned the subject of we cannot build up by tearing down and I gave him a pass and just smiled and nodded.
Just then I saw another friend of mine and I went over to talk to her. I recently counseled her son concerning his severe alcoholism and then asked a buddy of mine to secure a place for him in the best rehab facility of which I am familiar, and we all have been praying that he will enter it before something really bad, (like him dying) happens.
Just then the Governor started speaking. About half way through his speech, I hear her phone ring.
Yikes!
Phones shouldn’t go off when the Governor is speaking; even a redneck like me knows that. I felt bad for her as she struggled to turn it off and then she got a weird look on her face and turned the phone towards me to show me the caller ID.
It was her son.
Jumping Jehoshaphat Batman! We had just been talking about him and I had prayed a silent prayer for him and now he’s calling . . .
Shazam! I looked at her and whispered, “That’s just too weird . . .”
She whispered back that weird things always seem to happen when she gets around me.
Hmmm . . .
I went from acting like a juvenile to going spiritual all within a few minutes. Frankly I always think that coincidences like this are not coincidences at all and indeed come directly from God and are designed to encourage us and build us up as well as offer us some of His infinite wisdom. I don’t know His mind or how God can pull something like this off, but He does, (regularly), and I’m glad because I need all of the encouragement and wisdom I can get.
In a strange, simple, but perfect way it seems that God was telling me that building up really is better than tearing down, and to please stick with the spiritual program that He has outlined for me, and for crying out loud quit trying to act like Dennis the Menace . . .
Please pray for my friend’s son and if you have time, say a little prayer for me . . .
Isaiah 55:8
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”