Signs from God...

I was flying home recently after conducting an Every Man's Battle workshop (www.everymansbattle.com) in Washington, DC. As I settled in to my less-than-large-enough seat on the plane, the woman next to me asked me what I did for a living. I told her that I travel around the country helping men with issues of integrity. This became the launching pad for her to share the trouble she was having in her eight year old marriage.

This woman was married to an orthopedic surgeon who worked 100 hours a week (on a slow week). She felt as if she was always the one required to make sacrifices for the sake of his career and the continuance of their marriage. About a year earlier she decided to "turn off" her playing of such a role. As she and her husband became more emotionally distant, she met another man on a business trip and became quickly emotionally attached. Through emails they began an online relationship built on secrecy and lies (he was married and had a child; he never mentioned that to her). Their relationship escalated to the point where the reason she was on this flight was she had met up with him in DC. As I listened to her tell her sad story I was struck by the sovereignty and mercy of God in this encounter.

Millions of people climb aboard airplanes every day for various numbers of reasons. All seating is randomly assigned or just picked out of thin air when you show up. No one could have planned this encounter I had with this woman. No one except God. God knew this woman's story. He knew her pain, loneliness, and heartache over her marriage and affair. He also knew my story; the immeasurable riches of His grace being evidenced by the miraculous restoration of my marriage. God booked this flight. Even throughout our conversation this woman stated several times that her sitting next to me was "a sign from God."

So, at one point I asked her, "A sign for what?"

She said, "To give my marriage another shot."

I shared my story with her. I shared of the heartache that secrecy and lies bring to a relationship and how such lies damaged my own marriage. I also shared the joy of growing more in love with my wife because of our history, not in spite of it. I then challenged her to cease all contact with this other guy and to truly seek an open mind during her process of reconciliation with her husband. I urged her to get connected with some trusted friends who can hold her accountable and support her during this dark time in her life. I simply offered her hope in a desperate situation.

Isn't it interesting how God works? I am usually pretty introspective, unassuming, and quiet when I travel (you never know who you are sitting next to...). Yet, God knew this woman needed words of hope. But not just any words of hope; words of hope that connected with her unique circumstance. God is so good to meet us in our mess and give us exactly what we need at the exact moment we most need it.

As you go through this day, grow in your awareness of how God is touching your life. Then be willing to let Him touch others through you. The signs and wonders of God are all around us. We must simply open our eyes to see them.

Amazed by God's wonders,

jonathan