As I noted yesterday, I made two trips to
the church. The reasons do not
necessarily need to be rehashed. Suffice
it to say that the first time was to let the bug guy in to spray the
building. The second was to … umm … talk
to the election officials who were manning the early voting booths.
On my way home the first time I had one of
those “unexplainable urges” to stop by fire station seven. No particular reason. However, I was in the wrong lane to make the
turn and I didn’t really want to make a u-turn, so I went on home. I was not home more than five minutes before
I got word that I needed to return to the church. And after that trip, again on my way home, I
got that same sense of urgency to stop by the station. Second time’s the charm, I guess. I made my way over to the turn lane and soon
pulled into the station.
The crew was outside talking with some city
workers. Apparently the city guys were
done, and they started packing up to leave.
The fire fighters met me in the driveway, and we began chatting about
their day and about where I had been on my latest mini-journeys and where some
good places were to go hiking. After a
while, a man and his young son pulled up in a golf cart. The gentleman introduced himself and said the
boy was in scouting, and was working on his Webelos badge. Sadly, he had missed his group’s trip to tour
a fire station, a requirement for an “appreciating first responders” badge or
something like that.
After a little good-natured teasing about
the boy’s Cleveland Browns jersey, the fire fighters proudly declared, “Well,
we have a whole fire station right here.
Would you like to see it?” The
boy grinned widely and nodded his head.
His Dad was appreciative, and our guys proceeded to pull out the truck
and show them all the gear. Meanwhile,
that little interruption opened up an opportunity – the reason I was urged by
the Holy Spirit to come this way. I was
there when one of the guys asked to talk privately. God has a unique way of orchestrating divine
encounters … whether for a little boy working on a Webelos badge or for a
harried chaplain on his second trip home.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord: ‘Plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Father, thank you for the willingness of our
fire fighters to take the time to show a little boy around the station. That’s pretty special stuff. Amen.
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