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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"God Is Always Next In Line"
January 5, 2011
I stood right behind him and he didn't even know I was there. The truth is
that I hadn't seen or spoken to Mr. Papineau in years. There was no reason
why he would notice me. We were both in line to get coffee at Dunkin
Donuts. The line was long and most people were simply day dreaming and
thinking about what they had to do next.
We must have stood there for over ten minutes. Then it was his turn to
order. I thought about the few times we had talked during parent teacher
conferences. You could tell he cared about the kids. I heard he had retired
and was wondering what he was doing now. But you know how it is. You
hate to bother people when you are standing in line.
After he got his coffee and turned to go, I said "Hello" and then we
chatted for a moment. He told me he didn't he didn't notice me standing
there. He asked about the girls and I asked him if he was enjoying
retirement. It was nice catching up.
I ordered my coffee and as I was turning to go, I noticed a man that I
regularly saw at the gym. I said "Hi" and felt bad that I hadn't noticed he
was there before. It is funny how that works. Most of us tend to focus on
the people who are before us and don't give much thought to those who are
next in line.
That's the way of life. We tend to think of ourselves as being the end of
the line. We can see everything right in front of us and that's all that
matters. Of course that's why we sometimes get upset. The challenges, the
problems, the difficulties are all we can see. Sometimes they can be
overwhelming. We think we are the only one who has to deal with them and
we feel all alone.
That's why it is good to remember that we are not last in line. There is
someone who is standing over our shoulder who sees what is going on and
is ready to help. More times than not, we are not even aware that he is there
because we are focused on what is right in front of us. God is good and he
waits patiently for us to turn around and recognize him. When we do
acknowledge him, his peace and joy come over us and it's like we've met an
old friend.
So next time you are standing in line, take a moment to look around. You
might just see someone you recognize. Or if you look a little harder, you
might just catch a glimpse of God. He's always there. He's ready and willing
to help you through the day. He is simply looking for you to acknowledge
him and invite him along.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
January 5, 2011
I stood right behind him and he didn't even know I was there. The truth is
that I hadn't seen or spoken to Mr. Papineau in years. There was no reason
why he would notice me. We were both in line to get coffee at Dunkin
Donuts. The line was long and most people were simply day dreaming and
thinking about what they had to do next.
We must have stood there for over ten minutes. Then it was his turn to
order. I thought about the few times we had talked during parent teacher
conferences. You could tell he cared about the kids. I heard he had retired
and was wondering what he was doing now. But you know how it is. You
hate to bother people when you are standing in line.
After he got his coffee and turned to go, I said "Hello" and then we
chatted for a moment. He told me he didn't he didn't notice me standing
there. He asked about the girls and I asked him if he was enjoying
retirement. It was nice catching up.
I ordered my coffee and as I was turning to go, I noticed a man that I
regularly saw at the gym. I said "Hi" and felt bad that I hadn't noticed he
was there before. It is funny how that works. Most of us tend to focus on
the people who are before us and don't give much thought to those who are
next in line.
That's the way of life. We tend to think of ourselves as being the end of
the line. We can see everything right in front of us and that's all that
matters. Of course that's why we sometimes get upset. The challenges, the
problems, the difficulties are all we can see. Sometimes they can be
overwhelming. We think we are the only one who has to deal with them and
we feel all alone.
That's why it is good to remember that we are not last in line. There is
someone who is standing over our shoulder who sees what is going on and
is ready to help. More times than not, we are not even aware that he is there
because we are focused on what is right in front of us. God is good and he
waits patiently for us to turn around and recognize him. When we do
acknowledge him, his peace and joy come over us and it's like we've met an
old friend.
So next time you are standing in line, take a moment to look around. You
might just see someone you recognize. Or if you look a little harder, you
might just catch a glimpse of God. He's always there. He's ready and willing
to help you through the day. He is simply looking for you to acknowledge
him and invite him along.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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