Last night our church served somewhere close to 100 meals at the Union Rescue Mission in Cumberland, MD. One of the people who was there serving was 10 year old Jayden, whom Carolyn brought. Dinner was from 5-5:30. When dinner was over at 5:30 Carolyn said she was taking Jayden to Vacation Bible School, which began at 6 at our church in Short Gap. I was walking Carolyn and Jayden toward Carolyn’s car trying to encourage Jayden, explaining the difference between VBS which was one way of learning about and experiencing God, and experiencing God by being hands on at the mission. God must have thought I needed some help in getting my point across.
A man walking toward us bent down to Jayden and said, “Thanks for feeding us tonight, bud”, as the man offered an elbow bump. Jayden reciprocated with an elbow and Carolyn started to cry. A smile as big as the Montana sky came across Jayden’s face.
As they parted, I hurried back toward the mission to thank the man and to let him know what that moment meant. He had been drinking and was not able to fully appreciate the impact his gesture had on Jayden, Carolyn, and me. There is no doubt in my mind that God made sure that Jayden received positive reinforcement for his efforts at the mission. That was what I was trying to do, but my words were not doing it. God chose to use someone who was drunk to make a positive impression on Jayden that he will never forget… that none of the three of us will ever forget.
And that is life when you are driving in the Holy Spirit lane. God is unpredictable. He is always doing something, working in ways we cannot fathom. He can use anyone or anything or any situation to accomplish His good and perfect will. Last night He reminded me again that He is God and His ways are higher than my ways.
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Scott Knowlton's Blog 