The Divine Appointment

Do you believe in divine appointments?

I am wrapping up a trip to one of my favorite cities in the world, New York City.

It’s a place where I worked in broadcasting for several years, and lived just north of the city in New Rochelle, New York back in the 90’s.

Tuesday night we celebrated the theatrical premiere of my friend Jenn Gotzon’s movie, The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland.

But I was also up here to tape an interview for a documentary to fight antisemitism. I felt like this assignment flowed directly from God, and now all of the pieces of the documentary are ready to edit. I know the project had God’s hand on it because it came together so quickly.

I enjoy shopping, so after the movie premiere and documentary taping day I decided to spend some down time checking out the Nordstrom’s at Columbus Circle. It’s difficult to travel to the shopping capital of the world without bringing home at least one trophy! I had a dollar number in mind to spend, and because I am a jewelry lover I headed to that department first where I came upon a trunk show featuring Freida Rothman Jewelry.

To my surprise, the designer, Freida Rothman, was actually there. I told her why I was in New York City, and shared with her about the documentary. She responded by saying that both sets of her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. She then gave me a hug for what I was trying to do through my documentary titled “The Resurgence of Antisemitism: How Did We Get Here and What Do We Do About It?”

She led me to a pair of earrings that represented her grandparents’ journey to Brooklyn, a place where they felt safe from the horrors they experienced in the concentration camp. Rothman told me the etchings and the steel on the jewelry were highly indicative of Brooklyn. For many reasons I knew I had to purchase them. One was to support Rothman in the remembrance of her grandparents. Another was to provide a reminder of the journey I have had back to my own Jewish roots; and third, as a tangible visual representing this period of time where I’d received a personal call on my life to fight antisemitism.

It was a divine appointment orchestrated by God.

However, the earrings purchase took up all of my self-imposed budget. I was short one sweater for this trip, and had planned to find something at Nordstrom’s, but everything was more than I wanted to spend. When I told Rothman I loved jewelry she said, “Yes, you can buy a sweater at TJ Maxx and you’ll look a million bucks with a beautiful piece of jewelry.” I had passed a TJ Maxx on the way, so went back to that store and bought a sweater for $25 that will go perfectly with my new earrings.

I did not think this meeting with Freida Rothman was a chance encounter. I believe God placed me in Nordstrom’s as a confirmation that the documentary and the journey I am on is of Him, for Him, and that I am a messenger not afraid to defend His people. It was a beautiful divine appointment that He prearranged.

What about you? Are you paying attention to your divine appointments?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).