Traveling Encounters and...

   As I walked this morning, I thought about people. Not just people in general, but ones that we had interacted with on our travels over the past few days.

   There was the 93 year old lady that we visited with in Chattanooga. She has always been an active individual, but now lies in a hospital bed trying to recover from a broken hip, and an operation that did not seem to go so well. It was painful for us to watch her grimace as she tried to even shift her position in the wheel chair. So I prayed for her as I walked.

   There was the couple that we visited yesterday on our way back home. They are recently married and wear their happiness on their sleeves for all to see. It was great to visit in their home and to hear them talk about their new life together, but it was also sad to hear of health problems and family relationship problems that concern them deeply. So, I prayed for them also in all of this.

 

   Then there was the time spent with my brother and his wife as they were in Chattanooga at the same time we were. They live in Louisville, so we don't get to visit with them very often. Bill and I even got in some sets of tennis, and I was humbled by my inability to keep up with him on the courts. So I prayed for them and their family, and all their activities, and our relationship as brothers.

   Then I thought of how all these experiences could reflect on any of the readings of this morning. Was there any connection at all, or just musings on my part during a walk?

   As I completed my jaunt and got back to the condo gate, I looked down the street and saw a man coming my way. Recognizing him, I walked on up the street a few yards and met him as he came. I used to play tennis with him, but now his health problems don't let him do that any more. He not only has knee problems, but heart problems, and breathing problems. We chatted for a few minutes, and when he walked on, I prayed for him, and also thanked God that He had prompted me to not rush home, but stop and talk.

   It occurred to me, as I sat back down to write, that all of the Bible, and the readings that come up on my computer screen each day, are about relationships. Relationships of God and man, and those same contacts between man and man. Scripture is His Story, and the story of His dealings with man.

   My life is also about these same things. The relationships with others, both close to me, and even chance encounters, are important. They also help to define who I am.

   Thank you God, for reminding me of others this morning and giving me the privilege of both interacting with them and interacting with You on their behalf.

   Now to put in some work on my tennis game. That could use some prayer as well.