Dead bird blessings
Tonight at Chi Alpha (our youth worship) I challenged the crew to be looking for "unexpected blessings". (yes – my youth must suffer through whatever my current passion or interest is. I think they are really grateful that my polka fetish has phased out.) Anyway – I gave them two homework assignments. One is to look for unexpected blessings this week. The other is to share them with me so that we can all be blessed by what we discover as we look with new eyes at the world around us. The hope being that we see God more because we are looking for God and expecting God to show up – we just don’t know what God will look like.
Today God looked like a Russian girl and a dead bird for me.
1) Russian girl – I was walking at the park and met this girl walking two or three times as we both circled the park in opposite directions. We’d smile, the next time said "hi", etc. On the third pass, I was just finishing up with my cell phone (i missed a call and was listening to the message.) She had her phone in her hand and I made some comment about how sad that on a beautiful day we both have our cell phones with us! She stopped and turned with body language that indicated she would like to continue talking. So we visited for a little bit and she had an obvious accent and I thought it was Russian. So I asked and I was right. So I tried to impress her with the few phrases I know in Russian and obviously I didn’t say something weird like "I like to kiss dog poo" because she didn’t run the other direction. We talked and found out she has been here 9 years and has not spoken Russian since she’s been here. I told her about the Russian Bible Study at our church and she was very interested. I got her number and info. and will call her this week to help her connect with the Russian group. Way cool! Definite unexpected blessing from my walk. (plus I was able to practice my Russian.)
2) Dead Bird – So the last half of Chi Alpha was spent picking up trash in the parking garage across the street. Service helps cleanse us of selfishness. After Chi Alpha I got to my jeep to leave and on my windshield are two items. 1) a note that reads "unexpected blessing! Love – Chris and Wade" and 2) a dead bird. How can you fault them when they did their homework? They found an unexpected "blessing??" and they shared it with me. Good thing I’m secure in my relationship with them or I might feel like they were trying to tell me something . . . What happened to the bird? Well, I carried it to the bush, said a little prayer and tossed it in. Why? Because a bird in the bush is worth two in the hand. (actually – the true phrase is reversed but it didn’t fit my situation so I altered it to suit me. 🙂 I don’t fear the literary police. I did take a picture on my cell phone but I don’t know how to get it from there to here so just ask to see it next time you are with me.
I also realized after a conversation with a friend that I’m slipping back into my old "have to have it all figured out" tendencies. Don’t want to go back there so surrendering the need to know once again. Dagnabit.
Peace – Melissa