I am 55 years old and as I look back over those years there are some moments that stand out to me as being more than a coincidence. I cannot help but consider these moments to be evidence of something more than the ordinary -- to be truly nothing less than answered prayer.
I write this post not to wave these my moments in front of you for some type of recognition. I write this post to encourage you -- or more hopefully to remind you -- to recall your own life experience and see that you also have had such moments of answered prayer. Someone, somewhere, somehow is watching over us! I cannot speak for you, but for my part I stand in awe and gratitude of these magical -- no -- of these Mystical moments.
I write this post not to wave these my moments in front of you for some type of recognition. I write this post to encourage you -- or more hopefully to remind you -- to recall your own life experience and see that you also have had such moments of answered prayer. Someone, somewhere, somehow is watching over us! I cannot speak for you, but for my part I stand in awe and gratitude of these magical -- no -- of these Mystical moments.
THE YOUNG ANGEL
I was in my early 20s at the time. Down and out. Lonely, as usual. Not feeling well at all. Rather prayerful by nature -- or nourished by need? -- I went across town to a local university. I found some small measure of peace on the beautiful front lawn. Quiet and prayerful. A religious statue not far away. Broken hearted, I was just trying to hang in there. Trying to maintain some glimmer of hope that life was not really so miserable as it seemed. Trying to muster my belief that perhaps there was something beautiful on the horizon that I just couldn't see.
I was thinking at the time of a young woman I had met a few years earlier. Absolutely gorgeous! Precious! Sweet! One of God's gifts to this earth. I hadn't seen her in years, but she had touched my heart and my soul just by her being. We barely knew each other. Our relationship was little more than in passing only. Nevertheless, she and her beauty and her spirit definitely touched my heart.
Sitting down and out on the university lawn, I thought of her and her beautiful spirit. I looked up toward the religious statue in a gesture of prayer ... and there she was! There she was in the distance walking toward me. THERE SHE WAS!
We met and spoke for but a few minutes. I cannot remember what we said at the time. I don't remember having seen her since. For this moment, though, I know that someone ... somewhere ... somehow -- beyond what I touch and feel and see -- is with me. This moment in my life was indeed more than a coincidence. I have no rational explanation whatsoever. I say it is answered prayer.
We met and spoke for but a few minutes. I cannot remember what we said at the time. I don't remember having seen her since. For this moment, though, I know that someone ... somewhere ... somehow -- beyond what I touch and feel and see -- is with me. This moment in my life was indeed more than a coincidence. I have no rational explanation whatsoever. I say it is answered prayer.
THE NIGHTCLUB PRINCESS
This next remarkable moment will certainly seem commonplace and quite unremarkable to most of you. I assume that you have had probably many and sometimes close relationships to the opposite sex since you were a child. Try to imagine if you can a person -- me -- who for whatever reason grew into his late 20s and had very few close relationships to females for all of those years.I went to a nightclub to have a drink and look at the women. Lonely, as usual. I had been going to clubs for some time now. Never really enjoyed the atmosphere. Not my style. Not my interests. Except -- except -- that's where the ladies were. I was smart enough to know that no lady was going to come knocking on my door. I pretty much forced myself to get out the house and give fate an opportunity. Maybe. Maybe. Just maybe I would meet someone to take an interest in me. Someone to give me the time of day. Someone to treat me like I so desperately wanted and needed to be treated -- with a measure of love and care and concern. For me. For me!
Down and out. Not feeling well. Going through the motions. Walking around the nightclub. Sipping on my drink. Walking. And looking. And wanting. And hoping. And broken so miserably. Crying deep within. I turned the corner of the dance floor and I saw her -- this gorgeous PRINCESS -- smiling at me. No doubt about it. Smiling at ME!
She disappeared into the crowd. I couldn't get her off my mind. I walked about. Sipping my drink. I had for the moment a small measure of joy that someone -- that this princess -- had taken the time and the care to smile -- at me!
I watched her dance. A pure delight! Precious! I found enough nerve to walk up to her and ask if she would like to dance. She did. And we did. And we two enjoyed the remainder of the night and the weekend together.
She then got on a plane and flew to the opposite end of the country where she lives. We have remained good friends through these many years. To my way of thinking this precious moment in my life is more than a coincidence. Someone, somewhere, somehow is watching over me.
I had walked away from my 7 years employment with the church. Many reasons went into this decision. Some are mentioned in the post WHAT IF A PRIEST. I will likely mention other reasons in some future post. It was time to move on -- again.
I had been working several months as a stock clerk for a neighborhood grocery. Please don't get me wrong -- very grateful for the employment and the income. It helped me to (barely) stay afloat. Making little more than minimum wage; fronting cans of carrots and peas so everything looked just right; gathering buggies from the parking lot; mopping the floors and cleaning the toilets.
From my broken heart I prayed desperately -- no, I begged -- to be spared from this work. I know someone needs to do these chores, but after several years of graduate school, after climbing to some comfortable height in social service work, after shouldering much responsibility at the church, I seemed -- well -- I seemed reduced to very little. I prayed to be delivered. Surely I had something more to contribute, even as I didn't know -- broken as I was -- what that something was, or even could be.
I called a friend G that morning to say hello and ask how she and her husband had been doing. Hadn't seen or talked to them in several months. Both are pillars of the church. Good folks.
Pushing buggies in the parking lot. Praying in desperation. My cellphone rang ... "Hello. I don't know if you remember me. This is J from CSH. I don't know if you're looking for work or not, but if you are interested we need a delivery driver."
Thank you, God! Thank you, God! THANK YOU, GOD!!!
It turns out G went to the religious gift store just minutes earlier to buy a few things for the church. J recognized her just enough to know she was involved at the same church where I worked. "Do you know that guy who works at your church? I don't remember his name. I haven't seem him in a long while. Do you know how I can get in touch with him?"
"J doesn't work at the church anymore. He left months ago. I can get a message to him, though, if you like. Wait a minute. WAIT A MINUTE! I have his cellphone number right here. He called me just a few minutes ago. Here it is ...."
I'm not really big into making deliveries. I'm not really big into church supplies. But for the most part this employment with CSH is just what the doctor ordered -- quiet, peaceful and prayerful. From the big city, I relish driving down country roads, along the bayous and the Gulf Coast. Certainly more than a coincidence, someone is watching over me. And that someone has my cellphone number! Unbelievable!
I could mention several more remarkable moments in my life, but I don't see the need -- I think you get the point. Let me, though, mention just one more I think you will enjoy.
SS had moved a year earlier to the other side of the state. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and moved to the country to be close to her best friends on this earth. SS was very near to dying.
She called me one day and asked, "Could you please send me $1000?" You would have to know SS ... I'm sure it almost literally killed her to make that phone call. Very Proud. Very Strong. Very Independent. I never asked what she needed the money for. None of my business. She and I both knew I didn't have a dime to send. Had been living paycheck to paycheck for quite a long while now. All I said was, "I will do my best to get it to you soon."
I hung up the phone and started praying. I asked God to please let me send SS $1000. I asked again. And again. And again. I didn't have $1000 to send. Really. Hardly even a nickel. I couldn't charge it. I couldn't borrow it. I wouldn't steal it.
All I knew to do was to pray ... and I went to the city casino that night. I wanted so much to do something nice for SS for a change ... I was almost crying. I put $20 in the slot machine. And I prayed with every push of the spin.
Not 15 minutes later I won a small jackpot! I had $1000 to the dollar to send to SS. The money order was in the mail early the next morning.
SS died a week later.
WE ARE NOT ALONE! ... NONE OF US! ... NOT EVER!
Most Sincerely,
FJS
I watched her dance. A pure delight! Precious! I found enough nerve to walk up to her and ask if she would like to dance. She did. And we did. And we two enjoyed the remainder of the night and the weekend together.
She then got on a plane and flew to the opposite end of the country where she lives. We have remained good friends through these many years. To my way of thinking this precious moment in my life is more than a coincidence. Someone, somewhere, somehow is watching over me.
THE RESCUE
I had walked away from 20 years of social service work. Couldn't continue. Didn't have it in me. I was drained, and frustrated and exhausted. I remember walking on the levee crying -- a grown man literally crying. Broken hearted. I had to move on to some other work. I was just no longer well suited to where I was and to what I was doing.I had walked away from my 7 years employment with the church. Many reasons went into this decision. Some are mentioned in the post WHAT IF A PRIEST. I will likely mention other reasons in some future post. It was time to move on -- again.
I had been working several months as a stock clerk for a neighborhood grocery. Please don't get me wrong -- very grateful for the employment and the income. It helped me to (barely) stay afloat. Making little more than minimum wage; fronting cans of carrots and peas so everything looked just right; gathering buggies from the parking lot; mopping the floors and cleaning the toilets.
From my broken heart I prayed desperately -- no, I begged -- to be spared from this work. I know someone needs to do these chores, but after several years of graduate school, after climbing to some comfortable height in social service work, after shouldering much responsibility at the church, I seemed -- well -- I seemed reduced to very little. I prayed to be delivered. Surely I had something more to contribute, even as I didn't know -- broken as I was -- what that something was, or even could be.
I called a friend G that morning to say hello and ask how she and her husband had been doing. Hadn't seen or talked to them in several months. Both are pillars of the church. Good folks.
Pushing buggies in the parking lot. Praying in desperation. My cellphone rang ... "Hello. I don't know if you remember me. This is J from CSH. I don't know if you're looking for work or not, but if you are interested we need a delivery driver."
Thank you, God! Thank you, God! THANK YOU, GOD!!!
It turns out G went to the religious gift store just minutes earlier to buy a few things for the church. J recognized her just enough to know she was involved at the same church where I worked. "Do you know that guy who works at your church? I don't remember his name. I haven't seem him in a long while. Do you know how I can get in touch with him?"
"J doesn't work at the church anymore. He left months ago. I can get a message to him, though, if you like. Wait a minute. WAIT A MINUTE! I have his cellphone number right here. He called me just a few minutes ago. Here it is ...."
I'm not really big into making deliveries. I'm not really big into church supplies. But for the most part this employment with CSH is just what the doctor ordered -- quiet, peaceful and prayerful. From the big city, I relish driving down country roads, along the bayous and the Gulf Coast. Certainly more than a coincidence, someone is watching over me. And that someone has my cellphone number! Unbelievable!
I could mention several more remarkable moments in my life, but I don't see the need -- I think you get the point. Let me, though, mention just one more I think you will enjoy.
ANSWERED PRAYER
My ex-wife and I had divorced several years earlier. Things just didn't work out. We managed to salvage a somewhat cordial relationship afterward, nothing too very bitter. A simple phone call every so often to say "Hello. How are you?"SS had moved a year earlier to the other side of the state. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and moved to the country to be close to her best friends on this earth. SS was very near to dying.
She called me one day and asked, "Could you please send me $1000?" You would have to know SS ... I'm sure it almost literally killed her to make that phone call. Very Proud. Very Strong. Very Independent. I never asked what she needed the money for. None of my business. She and I both knew I didn't have a dime to send. Had been living paycheck to paycheck for quite a long while now. All I said was, "I will do my best to get it to you soon."
I hung up the phone and started praying. I asked God to please let me send SS $1000. I asked again. And again. And again. I didn't have $1000 to send. Really. Hardly even a nickel. I couldn't charge it. I couldn't borrow it. I wouldn't steal it.
All I knew to do was to pray ... and I went to the city casino that night. I wanted so much to do something nice for SS for a change ... I was almost crying. I put $20 in the slot machine. And I prayed with every push of the spin.
Not 15 minutes later I won a small jackpot! I had $1000 to the dollar to send to SS. The money order was in the mail early the next morning.
SS died a week later.
WE ARE NOT ALONE! ... NONE OF US! ... NOT EVER!
Most Sincerely,
FJS