Chance...

{the following is to be taken as a slightly sarcastic retelling..}

Today I went to an audition and wasn't sure why...it wasn't the type of project I would normally want to be involved with, but I went anyway.
The auditions were held at a large church and when I got there, I accidentally went in the wrong door(very surprising given my innate sense of direction) and was stopped by a man who informed me that I was supposed to enter through the doors on the *west* side of the building(as if using a word like *west* would actually help me figure out where to go...my internal compass says things like "turn by the big oak tree"; nothing at all in there about east, north, south or *west*). After being told I would have to walk around to the opposite side of the building, I decided to take a quick detour to the nearest restroom.
On the way, I passed an auditorium full of well-dressed women listening to a perky blonde 'Christian motivational speaker'(I'm not sure this is the appropriate title - I only had a few seconds to form my impression as I passed..). She was telling the ladies to, "Buckle up", because she had a "fresh word from the Lord". I wondered what would follow that intro; I have heard that phrase used blithely too many times and am as a result cautious to either use it or blindly accept the words that follow. I must also say that I believe we do have a "fresh word from the Lord", many in fact.. every word of scripture - and we should "buckle up" when we are going to embark on an attempt to understand and apply it, because it is consuming and transformational.

As I passed the auditorium and wondered what message of lifechanging power she would deliver, I saw a flyer that advertised the very gathering that was occurring at the time. It was a fashion show.

{on a serious note..}

Then, something unexpected happened.
I was washing my hands when I saw a woman gingerly waddle into my peripheral vision..as she took her place at the sink next to me, the reason for her unusual gait was obvious: she was very pregnant. I knew I could walk out quietly without saying hello and it would be o.k. according to the commonly held public restroom etiquette..but I just wanted to talk to her, so I struck up a conversation.
As we talked, I thought"why am I bothering this woman? maybe I shouldn't have delayed her from the fashion show thing.."
But she shared something unexpected - the baby(her third son) will be born no later than Friday, and two days later he will have to undergo open - heart surgery in Ann Arbor to correct a problem with his aorta. I was immediately aware of God's presence in me, impressing me to pray for this child. She was surprised I hadn't heard of his condition since there has been much talk of it at the church..she was more surprised when I told her that I didn't attend that church, had entered that end of the building by accident, but was grateful God had given me the chance to meet her so that I could pray for him. Before we parted ways, she told me his name is Chance.

I knew as I walked away that I wasn't really at the audition to fill up my resume...and suddenly it didn't matter whether I really wanted to be a part of this project.
I was at that audition today so I could meet Chance and pray for him, and my heart filled up with gratitude that God allowed me to be a part of what He's doing in the life of a precious baby boy. If you're inclined to prayer, please remember Chance during the upcoming weeks.

{Back to the thinly veiled sarcasm}

If any of you were wondering what the "fresh word from the Lord" turned out to be, I don't know for sure.....but when I passed the auditorium on my way out, the speaker was showing the audience, using a model for an example, what *not* to wear if you have a pear-shaped body.
As I walked the hall to the exit, her amplified voice trailed after me, "make sure you don't put anything eye-catching near the hips - no belts, jewelry, prints, and do NOT tuck that shirt in...."
Hmm. Maybe I missed it.

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