A Divine Appointment - The Night that Almost Wasn't

OK, really long title for this post, but that's because I couldn't decide which of the two names to use for the post. It all started on a dark and stormy night... no, wait, that's wrong.

It starts about 3 weeks ago. You see, I've been really frustrated lately because I haven't been able to arrange a babysitter so that I could go out and do... anything. I had gotten into a good rhythm of having a sitter over 1-2 times a week so that I could have some evenings to myself - go to Little Flock Bible Study, go to the singles' group at church, go to dinner with a friend... whatever. But do it without 2 kids in tow. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids very much (if you read this regularly you know that), but it's good for me to get out sometimes.

So, back to the actual point, it's been a while since I've been able get a sitter here. But I finally had a sitter arranged for tonight. So I called to see what the singles' group was doing tonight - they had already left for a baseball game in Nashville, and even if I wanted to follow behind I couldn't because I would get back too late. Tried to call several people here in town to see if I could go to dinner with a friend... nothing. Needless to say, I was frustrated.

Decided I should just go on to dinner by myself, then maybe catch Star Trek at the theatre (seen it already, but it was good so I thought I might go again). Went to dinner at Steak & Shake, got up to pay and realized that I left my wallet at home. As you might guess, this is not turning out to be the fun evening I had planned. So, I ran home, got my wallet, went back and paid for my dinner (yes, I talked to them before I left and explained what happened). Now it's 20 minutes past the start time for Star Trek, and I'm trying to figure out what to do.

Here's where the night almost wasn't. Part of me, in fact a pretty big part of me, wanted to just hang it up and go on home. Or at the very least, kill time until just after Rachel's bedtime and go home. But I went on to the theater anyway. Looked at the show times, and found that Up was showing in about 10 minutes.

For the record, the previews for Up never really caught my interest. I just didn't know what it was really about, nor did the commercials I have seen really make me want to see it. But, it was the only acceptable choice showing in the next 90 minutes, so I decided to give it a try. Dare I say, Divine Appointment.

Before I go on, a few words about the movie. To me, this was not a typical Pixar film - more specifically, it was not a kids' movie. Toy Story, Monsters, etc. have been reasonably kid-oriented in storyline, but this was much less so. If you haven't seen it, I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that it spoke to me more directly than it will likely speak to most of you. Vague enough? Well, go see the movie (it's really good) and you'll understand.

Warning... there's not a "spoiler" in the next paragraph, but there is a reasonably vague reference to something that happens in the movie. And the paragraph after that has some even more vague semi-references to stuff in the storyline, sorta. I won't be upset if you stop reading and come back after you see the movie. Did I mention it's really good? But not a kid's movie? You should see it.

Back to the Divine Appointment part. If you've seen the movie, then you've probably already guessed where I'm going... the note at the end of the scrapbook (vague enough?). It's a message I've already gotten, already processed, and am already living. But it was very significant to me to see it presented in this way. For those who knew Michell, you know she loved to scrapbook, and so that was an unexpected connection for me. I was very glad I went.

Those who know me well may also wonder how I handled it emotionally. I would say very well. No overwhelming sorrow and no tears, just an understanding that one chapter of my journey is complete and that another has begun. I loved the life I lived with Michell. I love my life now as I live with my girls. I look forward to loving my life as it enters new chapters in the future.

So, the night that almost wasn't - and certainly wasn't what I wanted it to be earlier today - it ended up being just what God intended... a Divine Appointment. So, if you ever forget your wallet and have to go back to pay for the dinner you've already eaten... watch out!

Why does it have to be so easy?

As I was finishing, I decided to come back to the top and write this quick intro. This is not a normal post for me, but that's OK. You've been warned...

Life has been good lately, and I am incredibly blessed. Why, then, do I still have problems with sin? I know we all have issues with sin ("for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23), but what frustrates me is the fact that I have the same problem over and over again.

Truth is, it's way too easy to fall into a pattern of sin-repent-sin-repent. How easy? So easy that the Bible speaks to it specifically. You'll probably recognize the passage...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1, emphasis mine

Now, I'm not a Biblical scholar, nor have I checked multiple commentaries or even gone back to the original Greek to research the nuances of the original text. What I do know is that in American English, when you talk about "the" something, you mean one specific thing. When parents tell their kids to turn off "the" television, they don't mean any random TV somewhere in the city, they mean that specific TV their kids are watching.

Similarly, I find that in my life there is one particular sin which "so easily entangles" me. Yours may be (and probably is) different than mine, but I would guess that all of us have one of our own. Not something to be proud of, but don't feel that you're a miserable wretch just because you have this problem.

I wonder if this is what Paul was referring to in 2 Corinthians when he talks about the "a thorn in my flesh." (2 Corinthians 12:7) According to that chapter, when he asked God to take it away, the response was, "My grace is sufficient for you." (2 Corinthians 12:9) (which probably would have ticked me off if I were Paul) Again, I'm not a Biblical scholar, just a believer who wonders.

So what do we do? Give in because we know that it will "so easily entangle us?" No, we are clearly called to "put aside" our sin, and the "run with endurance." Just because I know I'm not perfect doesn't mean that I want to stay as bad as I am now... I want to get better - get entangled less frequently, or to a lesser extent. And so "I press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:14) of perfection, but allow myself some grace when I miss the mark.

How about you?