It's funny how God knows. I mean I've grown up saying God is omniscient but do you ever stop to really think about that? Literally, He knows. Everything. He knows what foods we'll wake up craving and what will happen in the next five minutes. He could tell you every single person you drove by today and what car they were driving. And bigger more important things like how you felt when your mom died or how that one incident would shape the rest of your life. He knows those too.
He also knew of this one encounter I would have…
As I was sitting in our front hallway that opens up to the main road, my teammate Rob came up and asked if I wanted to go visit people in the neighborhood. Honestly I didn't really want to. My Spanish is hit or miss depending on the day and it is hot here. Like I'm sweating just sitting so walking up the hilly roads in full sunlight can be pretty exhausting. I wanted to stay and journal more but for some reason I was compelled to go.
I ended up in a group of three with Christina and Ally. We decided just to take a left and see what encounters God had planned. We had no idea who we would talk to or what would happen.
We passed by our lavanderia (laundromat) and greeted the children that always play outside it. Then we continued up the steepest hill of our little neighborhood roads that winds up and curves around to the left. As we were walking two women were suddenly on the road with us walking in the same direction.
We started easy conversation learning their names and what they were up to, which was just taking a morning stroll. We arrived to the younger ones house pretty quickly and said our goodbyes and continued walking.
The woman we were left with seemed to be in her thirties, was fairly short, and had the typical black hair and tanned skin. But what was different about her was that she had a huge shoulder deformity that gave her a sort of hunchback on one side and camouflaged her neck.
As we continued to walk and talk, she started to share her story. Her life was one of sadness she said. Her husband died several years ago and she's left with five children. She said how she goes through her everyday chores but she never wants to leave her house. She carried such depression.
As we stopped to listen to all of this and I did my best to translate, we also found out that she is a believer. My teammate Christina asked if she owned a Bible, I know this was the Lord's leading. She said that she didn't but would love one.
After the next hour, Ally got to share her testimony and encourage the woman that her life has purpose. We also discovered our Guate friends at the Internet cafe conveniently had one copy of the New Testament and Psalms to give away. We walked with her to pick up her daughter from school and bought them both chocobananas. As we all walked back to her house we said our goodbyes and left feeling overjoyed that while it may be the only time we ever see her, we left the Living Word of God with her.
But here's the crazy thing that I just can't get over. God knew. God even orchestrated the whole thing. How hard was it for God to work out us leaving at the exact time we did and be in the exact place we were to meet up with her at just that moment? How hard was it for God to work out having one free copy of the Word at the Internet cafe so we'd have a Spanish Bible to give her? That took more planning than just that day.
God is omniscient. But seriously. God really is omniscient.
So when something gives me joy or brings me hope, when I run into that random friend at the grocery store or get an encouraging text, I know God knows and He loves me so much that He's not only in the big picture but He's in the details. And He's using me for the details in someone else's story.
And ultimately it's the details that make up the whole story. So I want to live not disregarding the details but appreciating the intricacy of the story God is telling. His story displayed to me and through me.
"Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you" Isaiah 43:4 ESV
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