Sometimes God is in the very mundane with intent to do big things.
We have formed the habit of enjoying our Sunday-after-the-church-service lunch at a local restaurant.
Early in our time at Kingswood we determined we wanted to use the time to connect with the college students, so when the budget allowed, we would invite students to join us. On this particular Sunday God was strongly in the process.
Due to duties requiring my early arrival at church, we often took separate cars to the service. This was a necessity to what happened next.
Just before the service began, we decided whom we would invite. We divided to conquer and each asked one of the two girls we had chosen. Usually we would tell our guest if others were going to join us. On this day, with no planned intent, neither of us did. As well, we each brought our guest separately.
When they saw each other at the restaurant there was obvious tension on their faces. Unknown to us my wife and I separately invited two gals with a deep history – a bad one. They grew up on opposite sides of a town divided. A town that has a history of conflict based on language and neighborhood locations. There had also been some family feud issues as well to stoke the “fire.”
They were trapped, and they had to make the best of it. With my wife and I as unknowing mediators, barriers were dropped, and the mostly fabricated differences were set aside. Both girls respected us enough to honor our desire for fellowship, so the conversation was cordial. Although there were moments of strangeness we did not understand, we trudged on.
It was not until later that month we were told of the situation. Both students came to me (separately) to say, “I knew it was wrong and I should have approached her to start a dialog, but it wasn’t until the Troutens forced us to be together, that healing began. Now we have been talking a great deal of late and have become friends.”
With God leading before us, my wife and I celebrated a victory in a war we didn’t know we were fighting.