Have you ever considered that real life if often stranger than fiction? I woke up this morning with a strange memory that I am still trying to wrap my head around.
A number of years ago, my dad’s sister Beth taught a Christmon making class over at Trinity UMC.
My mother-in-law Martha, who lives in Fayetteville, NC came to visit with us in order to take this Christmon making class being taught by my aunt Beth.
Martha goes back to Fayetteville and begins teaching Christmon making at her Baptist church back home. A lady by the name of Sandy takes this class being taught by my mother-in-law.
A whole bunch of years later, I am appointed to serve as pastor of Zoar UMC, down near Fort Mill, SC. A young family joins my church and the wife’s name is Michelle.
Michelle just happens to have grown up in Fayetteville, NC and mentions one Advent season that her mother would like to come to Zoar and teach a class on Christmon making.
Michelle’s mother just happens to be Sandy who learned to make Christmons from my mother-in-law Martha in Fayetteville, who learned to make Christmons from my aunt Beth in Charlotte.
Crazy. And, I am still trying to figure that one out.
And, it was especially haunting as my aunt was deceased when Sandy came to Zoar.
I have heard it said before that each human being on this planet is connected by six degrees of separation.
I don’t know if this is true or not but maybe that’s why weird stuff happens so much and why real life is often stranger than fiction.
You can’t make this stuff up.
This leads me to wonder about mistakes…and their connections. I suspect all of us from time to time have made some grievous errors.
But let’s think about them for a moment. Trace the mistake forward.
What happened next and then so on? My guess is that if we trace the mistake forward far enough we will see that something incredibly positive evolved.
The NTSB analyzes all airplane crashes to find the root cause of the crash. As a result, air travel has evolved into the safest means of transportation available by analyzing mistakes.
Years ago, I made a terrible mistake. I agreed to take a job with a very large hog operation in eastern North Carolina.
It was miserable, dirty, back-breaking, smelly work but looking back on that experience, it opened more doors and created more opportunities for me than I could have ever imagined.
For starters, it paid my way through college. But furthermore, I learned a skill-set for free that I use even today.
And, it connected me to some really great friends and allies that have helped further and advance my calling into ministry.
Real friends make sausage together!
It’s a long story and to trace the connections is exhausting but take my word for it…that smelly job turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving.
And, I have heard that a minus (-) is halfway to a plus (+).
Maybe the key is for us to spend time in prayer, reflection and discernment but then move on from our error towards greatness.
Always look for the connections. We serve a gracious Lord who excels in turning minuses into pluses:
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten (John 4:8-13 NIV).
When in doubt, follow the connections. Nothing happens in a void.
And, occasionally Christ may even play a little joke on us by having a favorite aunt speak to us by way of a ripple from the Church Triumphant.