It had been one of those mornings. You know the ones, you wake up late, there’s no more milk in the refrigerator–and you were really looking forward to a warm chai latte. You slept on your right side and now there is an unmanageable crease in your curls. As you head out the door you remember you need to get gas, but o-yah–you woke up late so… I think you get the picture. It’s been one of those mornings.

So, I do what I usually do and start finding all the possible ways this day can continue to spiral into despair. Today I decided to start picking at my appearance. And trust me when I share, I have many flaws. But this morning it was the dark circles that surrounded my eyes. In the past, I’ve tried to convince myself they are natural eyeshadow. But today that narrative just wasn’t working. They were dark and reminded me of Uncle Fester on the old TV show The Addams Family. 

I begrudgingly got dressed, made my chai–sans the milk, filled the car with gas, and still made it to church on time. I’m so thankful our church recognizes the challenges of everyday people and starts consistently late. The sermon was convicting, something about looking to God for validation, and the music encouraging. As we ended, I chatted with a few people and then moved towards the hall that leads to the lobby. As I looked up, a young woman was walking towards me. I’d never seen her before and as I think about it, I’ve never seen her since. She was probably in her early 20s, I assumed a college student, with a beautiful smile. As we came close we exchanged, “Good morning!” And then she stopped and looked at me. I thought it must be the dark circles grabbing her attention. But instead, she said, “You have the most beautiful eyes.” I was speechless but finally shared, “Thank you!” She walked off and I stood there a few extra seconds trying to take in what had just happened. 

How could this young woman know that I was beating myself up about eye circles? How is it possible for our paths to cross at exactly the right time? No one else was around. No other ear to hear or eye to see this brief exchange. Just me and this sweet angel that turned my seemingly day of despair into a ray of sunshine.

I mentioned earlier that I have never seen this young woman since that encounter. And you can believe me, I’ve been looking. Our congregation is small so the task isn’t all that hard. But I have asked around and no one seems to know who I’m talking about. Did I mention our congregation is small? So I can’t explain this encounter using human wisdom, but I can suggest a theory that I’m growing increasingly fond of. 

God intimately knows when we have one of “those” mornings. He knows how we can spiral into deep dark places and he cares. He cares enough to do something about it. For me, he often sends an early morning rainbow or a sunrise that is so majestic that it can take your breath away. But there are other times he uses people, everyday ordinary people, to give me a message of encouragement and hope. Sometimes he even sends sweet angels with a compliment you would never expect at just the right moment. I think what we have to do is be willing to see God’s amazing care in the every day and acknowledge that even in the mundane,

He works, 

He provides, 

He cares.

Be blessed his BeLOVED,