Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans?” That’s me in a nutshell. God may think I’m a stand-up comedian right now, but I think there’s a catch to that phrase.  God places desires on our heart and equips us with gifts to do his work (Hebrews 13:21). We all have gifts for a reason, and we should use them. Instead of laughing at our plans, I think God has a way of letting us know if we’re heading in the right direction or not.

 

Yesterday, as I went to sit down in a hotel coffee shop (not sure how I ended up there), I saw a man who looked to be in his mid-sixties reading his Bible a few seats over from me.  My first instinct was to go introduce myself, but I decided it’d be smarter if I went in stealth mode/creeper status and watched this guy for a while to see if he was legit (whatever that means).

 

A couple hours later as I was packing my bags to leave, I decided the man passed my initial screening test, and I went to go say hey. I walked up to the man and said, “ I saw you reading your Bible. Do you go to church around here?” Kirk, with his crystal blue eyes looked at me and said, “I could tell you were a Christian right when you sat down.” To my frustration, I realized that Kirk went stealth mode/creeper status on me this whole time — Well played, Kirk.  Still a little shell-shocked from his last comment, Kirk preceded to tell me that sometimes, when you look in people’s eyes, you can see Jesus staring back at you. These people may not even know Jesus yet, but they have a hopeful glisten in their eyes and you just know big plans are in store for them.

 

Certain I just made a new best friend, I plopped my backpack down on the chair beside Kirk and talked with him for the next 20 minutes. I told him about my pursuit to make a career as a singer/songwriter, and my hope that my music can serve as a light to those who listen.

 

In an unexpected move, Kirk asked if he could pray for me in the middle of this coffee shop at the bottom of a fancy hotel. I told him, “Heck ya!” My new best friend, who I’ve known for 20 minutes, prayed for my career–that people would gravitate to me and that it would be fruitful to others.

 

God sends us messengers to affirm the path we’re on. In a time of uncertainty, my messenger came in the form of a kind older man sitting in the corner of a coffee shop who had the exact words I needed to hear to keep churning. Look for these instances in your own life. They are abundant when we ask for them and when we open our eyes to them. Even more so, maybe you’re meant to be a messenger for someone else.

 

 

Taylor