Saturday, March 9, 2019

Control Issues

Yesterday Judy had a test at the hospital which we rescheduled several times due to their schedule as well as mine. When we arrived at the reception room for the test, an elderly lady, sitting alone in a wheel chair, looked at me and said, "Who are you? You look familiar." When I gave her my name, she knew me from her support of the Seminary and her long time presence in a Georgetown church. The more we talked the more we "knew each other." I told her that I had preached at her Church about a year ago. With a puzzled look, she said that she didn't remember that. Then she added, "I guess I wasn't impressed with your preaching." I replied that she wasn't the only one. She had to drink a large amount of liquid before her test and she became frightened that she would choke. I helped her hold the container, she held her nose, took small sips and we talked between those sips. When she was finished, Judy came back into the room after her test. I don't know if the timing of Judy's test and meeting the elderly lady was fate, providence or just luck. I think there is no provable answer. What I do know is that it seems the less I try to control things such as plans, events, situations, etc., and accept the presence of God, who is somehow and very mysteriously always present, things like this seem to happen more often.