God’s Seat Assignment
Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1,2
“Which seat should I sit in?” I asked the Lord. I was on my way back home and on the first leg of my flight from Greenville, South Carolina to Houston, Texas. If God didn’t want me to share my faith with someone, I had a great book I was happy to finish.
That’s when I saw the 30 something woman sitting next to her young son. I felt God prompting me to sit there so I did. I began our conversation with the usual pleasantries. “Are you from South Carolina?” She explained she ended up there for her husband’s job but she was from a couple of different places. She told me she was a stay-at-home mom but was working on her undergraduate degree in psychology. She then told me about her dream to be a child psychologist in the school system to help children overcome any dysfunctional situations in their homes.
One thing led to another as her own personal story began to unfold. Her parents married as teenagers and weren’t ready to care for her when she was born. With multiple marriages between her parents, this young woman was shipped off to different relatives when her mother or father was unable to care for her. When she did live at home, there was abuse. The one thing her mother did, which I applauded, was to drop her off at Sunday school every Sunday. That gave this woman a foundation which she was able to later go back to.
As she shared her story I was amazed she was as put together as she was. Well dressed; in shape. She then told me how she had ballooned up to over 200 pounds, probably because of self esteem issues, but through a weight loss program lost all her weight.
She was a walking miracle and made my personal story seem dull compared to hers. I shared some of my background with her because like her, I was able to overcome my childhood situation through the power of Christ. Being a few years older, I think this woman needed to see that we can overcome dysfunction in our homes and make a difference in other people’s lives by telling our story, which I am called to do now through our Pearls of Promise ministry. I encouraged her to write about her childhood and to pray for opportunities to speak about it with others. The most important part of her story is that God led her out of the darkness.
When the flight ended, I knew the Lord had given me his assigned seat. This young woman is now in my contacts and she has my information. I don’t know if we will ever meet again, but I know I am called to pray for her as she balances a household and school and pursues her dream to help children in emotional distress.
What about you? Do you pray for God to put people in your path when you travel? Do you have a story?