Coincidence

Delayed post-Written August 2013: 

Coincidence is a funny concept. So is fate. They kind of contradict each other. One is often used as an argument against the other. In Christianity there isn’t a whole lot of room for coincidences.  There is the belief we are all meant to be where we are every moment we are there in the scheme of some greater plan we are not wise enough to see. I have always believed in this concept, but I still am not ready to let go of the possibility that some things are just one big consequence. I think back to a few summers ago when I first got the job at this camp. Was it coincidence the camp I worked at for two years previous suddenly changed their job requirements? Was it a coincidence I got two rejection notices then ended up being called three days prior to training all because one girl needed to attend summer school? It’s a little mindblowing when we see the ways God can work in our lives. The fact I got that job three summers ago against all odds. 

Last night I had another one of those “this is too great to be a coincidence” moments. We had a dinner reservation at 6:00 pm but wanted to go to the movies at 6:30. We moved the reservation earlier, had everything pre decided to order, tried to rush through our meals and so on. It turned out there would be no way possible we could make it to the theatre on time, so we ate at leisure. We then decided to stroll to a giant chair and spend time taking photos. Out of the blue one of the members of our group decided she needed a new nose ring, so we started to walk to the tattoo shop, just down the road, even though we could have drove. As we were walking we saw a group of youth gathering in the parking lot of the catholic church- even though they normally meet inside. We walked over and ended up joining them for their meeting.  Along the way we also saw a sign for a concert that we went to tonight, and one of our group members ended up making a musical connection and learning a new song.  Who knows where he will play that song and the connections it will bring him, or how it will impact others. The youth group we went to opened my eyes, and we may never know if our being there will impact anybody else, but it is possible we were there that night to add to the conversation so that it may influence someone else. I just think about how incredible it is that our God can work in that way. He will lead us where we need to be, not where we want to be!