Do you ever have a plan for your day? You think, ‘I’m gonna do this and this and this.’ You get so excited and so stuck on all the plans that you have in your little head. That’s how I felt this day. I was excited to be in town, have the day off from ministry, and just be. I wanted to journal and listen to music and shut out the world.
I settle in at the cute little hipster, organic coffee shop in this charming lakeside city of Nepal. I get out my journal and begin to block out the rest of the world. I try at least. But our Father has an incredible way of keeping us present. He’s placed us exactly in each moment, and He given us eyes so that we could see. That we could truly see.
Holly sat down at the wooden table next to me. And something in me was drawn to her. I love when God’s spirit just moves in you and you can’t ignore it. We shared our travels and dreams with one another. She felt like a friend I had always known. I asked her questions about her life and she answered in her Australian accent. We talked fluently for nearly an hour, and my quiet, alone time had quickly passed and been filled with this new friendship.
She asked me if God had always been a part of my life, and I got to share my story with her. She listened intently, and I asked her to share hers as well. Something I always seem to find when talking to anyone is that we’re all pretty broken. And we’re all looking for a way to piece our stained glass together. Some answer that will give us reason, show us something more beautiful than these little pieces we’re holding and we’re not sure why. These pieces we’re not sure how to fit together.
I asked Holly if I could pray with her, I thanked her for her friendship, for her selfless heart and for volunteering at this orphanage she was staying at in Nepal, and I thanked God for the day He had given us. And for that hour of my life, I knew that God wanted me in that moment, and not just in my own moment. He was reminding me how important it was to put people first.
Soon after, I headed to another coffee shop with a friend. This time I was determined to put my headphones in and disengage in conversation. I was just getting comfortable when Steph walked up the stairs. I had met her out the night before, and so brightly smiled when I saw her again. Now knowing God, He doesn’t do these things on accident. The chances of being in the same place at the same time in this big city not only once, but twice, was pretty slim.
My friend Taylor and I talked with Steph for a couple of hours and the conversation flowed just as easily as the lake ripples nearby. We talked about the deeper meanings of life, not letting the world hinder who you are or tell you who to be, and what we thought about God. Taylor and I shared our hearts with her. We shared how changed we were. We talked about the kind of joy that we’ve only been able to find through Jesus, and how we all have a hole in our hearts that only He can fill. And until we realize that, we fill it, and fill it, and fill it with everything we possibly can.
This day turned out a little different than I had expected. Instead of focusing on what I needed, and living in the world inside my head, I was able to live in the one we’re actually in. The Lord put so many of us on this earth because we’re supposed to be there for each other. A day that I had planned out, God took control of and had a much better, more incredible agenda.
I felt so full that day. I felt so used by God in the best way possible. I felt like I had connected with these beautiful women, and created friendships with them. I felt bold and brave and inspired. I had conversations that actually meant something. And I felt like even if just for a moment, I was able to share God with them. And it wasn’t forced or unnatural, but just people sharing their lives together.
And maybe even just for a little while, I was able to impact their lives. Able to be a stepping stone on their way to heaven. To be a piece in their stained glass that adds a color that they been needing. Adds the radiating sunshine that Jesus gives us. The yellow that lights up our stained glass. All because I chose people first.
