The Case of the Perfectly Placed Stranger

Staying in a hotel during a large event, a woman felt as though the Holy Spirit was prompting her to go down to the lobby.  She didn’t know why, but being the obedient and humble person that she is, she decided to abide this marked feeling.  She went down to the hotel lobby and stood still for a minute surveying the area and the people, not sure what to do next except, “Sit“.  “Sit where?” she wondered.  A large space cut out by long couches and tables making a conference type area in the corner of the room seemed to be calling to her.  She went and sat in the corner, working on her laptop and waiting for whatever came next.

Two men who seemed to be good friends came and sat at a small table near the couch where she sat.  They began discussing deep theological ideas back and forth.  She didn’t feel compelled to do anything at that point, so she continued working and waiting.  A few minutes later, a man and his son came into the area as well.  The son, who seemed to perhaps have some level of Asperger’s syndrome, came and sat close to her.  He was talking loudly and openly with his father, who did not seem to relate to the faith-based questions from his son.  She stopped working and said hello, asking the young man if he liked to talk about faith, and he said he did.  At first, she noticed the uneasiness of his father, who seemed to be uncomfortable with his discussing faith with strangers.  When his father left temporarily, the son revealed that he and his father had a strained relationship at times.  He then began to ask many poignant and serious questions to the woman about her faith.  She then understood what her purpose was for being called to come and sit in the lobby.  She directed the son to the two men sitting nearby who were still in a faith-based conversation.  After introductions were made among themselves, the young men joined the woman and her new young friend for a chat on the couches.  Soon the father came back and noticed his son being enveloped in some important and detailed conversation about faith matters.  He revealed that he was a corporate man, and these matters were foreign to him.  She could see that watching his son with adults who took him seriously and respected him, seemed to help the father look at his son with a new perspective.  He seemed to be admiring his son’s comments and knowledge, and watched carefully as the conversation flowed easily among the four about topics that were unfamiliar to the father.

In the end, this business man extended his card and connections to the two young men and offered his help for them in the future, should they need it.  As for the woman, she understood that when the Holy Spirit nudges, He has his reasons.  It seems that through the connections and conversations, a father and son’s relationship was healed, and the others were themselves felt encouraged (as it always seems to go) by sharing faith with strangers.

As we discussed this case casually and not in the context of our Encounter with Christ, we did not form resolutions for the week.  But what I took away from this discussion, was the importance of heeding the promptings of the Holy Spirit and having the courage to act on them.  Already this week I have had an opportunity to practice this and the results were, without a doubt, only something God could have done (and perhaps for another blog, another time).

See Prayer Intentions Page and add your intentions for any special needs in the comments if you would like me to take your prayer requests to my retreat this weekend.  We will be holding you up in prayer in the chapel.

Gospel LK 1:1-4; 4:14-21