“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” – Acts 17: 24-27
A repairman came to our house today.
Recently, Cindi and I invested in a couple of new rocking chairs. Unfortunately, one of them showed up from the factory with some fabric issues. The manufacturer stood by their product and after a phone consultation complete with pictures of the chair, replacement pieces were ordered and a visit to our home was scheduled.
The technician got right to work and completed the job in about 25 minutes. While packing up, we asked him where he was from, where he lived and how long he had worked for the company. He said, “12 years total, but I was laid off after the first 7 years because of the pandemic.” His face and countenance suddenly changed. He described sitting on his front porch wondering how he was going to tell his wife and four children that he had no job.
“Funny how I am in this place,” he said about being in our church home as he described praying on his porch for the first time in many years. “Then the phone rang.” It was his supervisor who told him that he may be able to bring him back in a different role.
He started back to work the next week.
The reality of God had come to this repairman in his moment of need and through his story came to us.
Was it our moment of need?
From the outset, we have thought of interviewing and asking for content from those who have national platforms and if presented the opportunity, we will probably take it. But we continue to be inspired, moved, and challenged by the amazing things that God is doing in those who are right in front of us.
After the repairman left, I was reminded of beautiful stained glass in ordinary wood framing above a picnic area from four years ago. If Cindi and I had not stopped for the rain and looked up, we would have never seen it.
He is not far from any one of us.
Welcome to year five.
Main post photo by Mae Besom for the book, “What Do You Do With A Problem?” written by Kobi Yamada.