The Friday following the race I was getting ready to go to bed when I got a voicemail from my small group leader. It was just before 10 in the morning and I had to work a 12 hour overnight shift starting at 7pm that night so I really needed to get to sleep. I listened to his message, intending to get in touch with him later, but the urgency in his voice gripped me. He said he had something important he needed to talk about, said it was not bad, and asked me to come over as soon as possible.
As I got myself together and headed over my mind sifted through all the possibilities. "Maybe they don't have the money they need to stay in school. Maybe they have a problem with their visa. But he said it wasn't bad..." I couldn't come up with any idea that seemed legitimate.
My small group leader opened the door for me as soon as I arrived at their apartment and immediately suggested that we all sit down and pray. He was pulling up a chair for himself and I sat down in the living room with his wife. Brief and to the point, he prayed something to the effect of, "Lord God, we need Your grace. Give us wisdom and discernment. Amen."
I still had no idea what could possibly be going on, so I was grateful when my small group leader's wife said, "Just tell her!" My small group leader was smiling as he informed me, "I just had coffee with Ben. He's interested in you!"
It took a few seconds for me to process that he had just had coffee with the Ben I was interested in. It took a couple more for it to click that Ben was also interested in me. "What? Really?!" It didn't seem like it was real and I wondered, "Is this really happening or am I just imagining things?"
But my small group leader proceeded to explain how he had gotten an email from Ben on Monday revealing his interest and asking if they could meet for coffee sometime to talk about me. They had agreed to meet after Pastoral Apprenticeship that morning and he had just come back from their meeting, obviously elated.
I was still wrapping my mind around the whole thing as my small group leader began telling me all about their conversation. I learned more about Ben through his information than I had known from all our personal chats. He was from Tennessee, 23 years old, an engineer. I could hardly believe what I was hearing, but the more I comprehended the more excited and hopeful I became.
My small group leader was telling me what a great guy he was, based on their conversation. But the real kicker was what he said at the end of it all. "Naomi," he said solemnly, "I asked him a lot of really hard questions, and he had a lot of really good answers." Then, leaning in for emphasis, he added, "I commend him to you."
My heart glowed. I couldn't believe what was happening. After months of struggling with loneliness in singleness, wondering when I'd ever be able to meet someone in the midst of my crazy schedule, I had noticed a young man at church. Though I hadn't allowed myself the pleasure of hoping that he might think anything of me, said young man had expressed interest less than a week later. Admirably, he had chosen to present himself first to an authority figure in my life, my small group leader. Then, having been drilled by said small group leader, he passed the test with a commendation.
As I soaked it in, we talked a bit more about plans to all have lunch together on Sunday after church. My small group leader said he would talk to Ben and let him know that we had talked. I went home starry eyed, still trying to wrap my brain around the whole thing. As I finally laid down, one thought prevailed in my mind while I drifted off to sleep: "The Lord is so kind."
Labels: every day life