“I need a silent night, a holy night, to hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise”.*
As I pulled away from Starbuck this morning after coffee with a friend, this song came on the radio, and it made me cry.
Not a sad cry, but a “I met with God ” cry; a time of feeling that through no work of my own that God had once again dropped blessings in my life. I had “hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise”
The friend I met with has been walking the road of cancer for the past few years. Some things have worked and some things have not, and her future continues to hang in God’s balance. Her road has been very different than my road, and we both agree that we are not sure that we would want to be in each other’s’ shoes. What we do connect over though is the power and clarity that comes when we have walked through challenging and uncertain times, and we realize that God is walking right beside us.
As our time was wrapping up a mutual friend came in. A year ago she lost her husband suddenly to a heart- attack. Although sadness is still very real to her, she thanks God for the people in her life and is trusting God to lead her next steps.
There was another woman there who is the mother of a former student of mine. She shared the joy it has been to see the change in her son as he has experienced life in other countries, and his recent adoption of a baby boy.
I came away with a feeling of being blessed, that God had let me into the lives of these precious women. Not the cleanly swept lives, but the real up and down lives of people following God.
On my way home, I needed to stop by the grocery store. The feeling there was hurry. I practically ran into an acquaintance and the first thing she asked, was “Are you ready for Christmas?”. I fumbled a bit feeling a little unsure of how to answer.
As I made my purchases, the checker also asked if I was ready for Christmas. I found myself somewhat annoyed and unable to answer the question again. I gave a quick “yes”, knowing that the question was an attempt to make conversation with those going through the line.
As I thought more about it, I realized what was making this challenging for me. I knew that the answer people were looking for to the question, had to do with gifts purchased, food made, and a clear “to do” list. I could mostly answer yes, but I did not feel like it really answered the question.
I felt like the real being ready for me has more to do with the feeling I had after spending time with my friends at the coffee shop, blessed and aware of God’s presence. I feel like I am more ready to receive his gift of salvation when I see his work in other people’s lives than when I have my list completed. God continues to change me.
*I Need A Silent Night, Amy Grant 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRSSsNbF29I