Change Me, Oh God

Monday, December 18, 2017

You really can’t make this stuff up… It’s why I choose to write about it!

Following a good night’s rest, I awoke with the idea of driving a few passengers before heading to the office. It was a “test” to see if I could institute the practice into my morning routine; cause I love driving Uber!... As the music of Tamela Mann played in the background, I undertook the hour-long task of getting myself ready for the day. However, it were the words of the song that stopped me in my tracks:

Change me oh God/Make me more like you

Change me oh God/Wash me through and through

Create in me a clean heart/So that I may worship you

So I’m thinking while looking upward, “is there something to be revealed in this little adventure-experiment?” By now you know… Anticipating the “first-passenger” of the day always puts me in a hopeful place. Hopeful that whomever the first-passenger is, they will set the “tone and tenor” for the day. Imagine my big chuckle at the “God-incidence” when the app displayed the passenger name “Adam!” My first-passenger of the day would, in fact, be the first-man of humanity!... Onward, as I’m navigating the streets of Eastern Market and Capitol Hill to pick up the first-man; cause ironically, Adam stakes his residence among the many legislators, staff, lobbyists and non-profit workers who call Capitol Hill home. Not so coincidentally then, he wears a suit and happens to be thin (maybe from worry). He hops into the vehicle while confirming he is Adam. I confirm the drop-off location to be correct, and he offers extra confirmation that he is headed to Bible study. You know I’m on the brink now!…

Adam tells me he’s a member of the fledgling congregation at Waterfront Church DC. And while his Bible study meets at a coffee-shop, the church recently acquired a store-front to worship in. On the drive we chat about the beauty of Washington, DC and the current social climate. We talk about the decline of USA millennials attending church, and the groundswell support the African church has seen recently. I mention the sage wisdom of my South African Auntie Khosi, whom I’d met in London this past August. He mentions having traveled to Swaziland for mission work and the tremendous impact the people and culture have had on him. He further offers that while it was his first trip, his father has gone several times. His father, on all of his visits, teaches cataract removal to reginal doctors in Swaziland, and does mission work. Adam and his family are from Oklahoma (when not in the Garden of Eden); and his pastor is from Texas. His presence in my car is a reminder that inspiration and God’s humor are on full display in this purposeful journey called life!

I have to admit, this morning’s experiment also has me wondering, “will Mary make an appearance in my car before Christmas Eve?”

God is all around… Have a terrific Tuesday!