I had a “divine appointment” at a local coffee shop yesterday. I use the term divine appointments for interactions I have with other people that I have not planned but that are clearly orchestrated by the Lord.
I had been sitting in a corner booth for almost an hour trying—without success—to get some writing done. And that’s when they walked in, a young mother and her precocious daughter. For some reason, I felt drawn to them. At the time, I thought it was just me appreciating the beautiful scene of them togehe
As I tried to focus back on my work, they sat in the adjoining booth right in front of me. Within minutes, I had a new and very talkative best friend. The little girl was just so full of life, and clearly had never met a stranger.
After a couple of minutes, her mom and I discovered we had some common interests and started talking. In the midst of our conversation, she mentioned that she had just come through a long battle with depression. She kept mentioning how bad she felt that her daughter had to go through that, and felt that she hadn’t been a good mother during that time.
At that moment, I realized this was a God-orchestrated “divine moment.” I gently smiled at her and told her I understood what she had gone through, having experienced multiple battles with depression in my own life.
My worst battle with depression occurred when my children were about the same age as her daughter. I shared with her that with this particular battle, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through but I had found my way to the other side.
I looked at her and said, “You also made your way through and that is all that matters.” I also added that while her daughter did see her when she was sick, she also watched her mom get healthy again so she could take care of her.
It was clear that she wasn’t the type to openly share her feelings but she teared up and said, “That made me cry.” With a smile emerging on her face, I knew that they were tears of joy.
The Lord orchestrated this meeting in a way in which only He could do. She is a young mom who needed encouragement after walking through something quite difficult. I am a mom to grown children who had walked through the same thing and could provide her the encouragement she needed.
Our encounter with each other was very brief but meaningful for both of us. I have no doubt in my mind that this was a divine appointment. It was clear that the Lord was guiding our conversation.
When all of these elements come together, the Lord is clearly going out of His way to bring confirmation, clarity, and peace concerning your life or current circumstance—or those of the person He is asking you to minister to.
Tanya Vezza 