Divine Appointment

How many times do we take the time or thoughtfulness to compliment a total stranger? I know I don’t do it nearly enough. Often, I will say something nice to the clerk that checks me out at the grocery store, or the neighbor that lives two streets over when we meet at the mailboxes. But, I’m not talking about those we’ve seen in passing before and may again. I’m thinking of the person we will likely never see again; where we give a compliment and have nothing to gain from it. I tend to pass these people by, without much regard to what their world looks like.

This last week, however, I had such an encounter. I was traveling back to Spearfish from the family ranch in Nebraska. I nearly always stop at the gas station/McDonald’s on my way through Valentine, NE. As I made my way to the McDonald’s counter to order an iced tea, I noticed the elderly lady with a powder blue sweatshirt sitting at a table. Her blue eyes, the same color as her sweatshirt, stood out like the red door on a white church. The color popped, reminding me of my Dad’s kind, blue eyes.

I gathered my iced tea and headed for the door, ready to get on the road again. As I stepped down off the curb in front of my vehicle, I noticed the elderly lady a few steps behind me. I’m sure my words surprised her as much as they did me.

“You have the prettiest eyes,” I said. She looked startled at first that I had spoken and then her lips turned into a generous, gracious smile. It came as close to “lighting up a face” that I have ever seen.

In the next few minutes, I was welcomed into her world. Before the few minutes were over, I knew she had lost two sons in her 79 years of living. She lived in Missouri most of her life, but her “now” husband was claustrophobic and the Missouri landscape (even though he hid his affliction well) bothered him immensely. On a road trip to the Nebraska Sandhills to see family ten years ago, he excitedly exclaimed, “No trees!” They had made the decision then, that Valentine would be their new home. They never looked back and when I asked if they were glad they had moved, she answered, “Oh yes.”

After she shared a few more ups and downs of life, I wrapped my arm around her and squeezed. “Life is hard, but God is good,” I summarized. She nodded.

As I drove north out of Valentine, I wondered about the visit with the woman. Could it have been a divine appointment? The way her face lit up and her willingness to accept a hug, seemed to indicate it could have been. Psalms 37:23 says: When Yahweh delights in how you live your life, He establishes your every step.(The Passion Translation) According to S. Joseph Kidder, a professor of Christian Ministry, God arranges, and establishes the details of His children’s lives, including some unexpected divine appointments.

The meeting refreshed me, too. My heart felt good that total strangers could share smiles and some life experiences in a few brief moments when both are willing. I had been wrong – I gained something too, from giving a compliment to someone I would likely never see again. One thing we didn’t share were our names. It seemed there were more important purposes for this conversation than name exchanges. Divine appointments are like that.

Until next time – “keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.”