Reaction

A letter came from the bank to the address on record.  It was filled with information and instructions for the account holder.  It also contained a threat of what action would be taken if the instructions were not followed.  Unilateral action, asset liquidation, and account closure were just the beginning.  The letter came and sat, unopened and unread, at the home of a good friend.
 
We had no idea that a letter had been written.  While there were clues in hindsight, there was no way of knowing what was waiting as we walked into the bank branch.  Of the various alternatives that I had mapped out in advance, a call this morning contained one that was beyond my imagination.  Without warning, we were informed.  The account must be closed.  The relationship had ended.  There were no options.  There were just steps to the end.
 
We held out hope for an alternative.  As we chatted with Ursula, I quickly realized she was telling us far more than she wanted.  It was over.  The banter slowed, ended, and we listened.
 
God is trying to talk with you and me today.  Too often, my mouth and/or mind are engaged.  I am not the first.  In an old story, when a group of men stopped, then “there was dead silence.  No one said a word.  With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry. The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop.”  (Acts 15.12, 13)
 
I watched a miracle unfold today.  As first, I did not realize how God was working.  After the fact, as I read the letter the facts spoke in a deafening way.  It is humbling to realize that I sat, chatted, and interacted through the middle of God’s hidden work.  I doubt Ursula knew about her role.  The others involved probably did not either, though each acted with compassion and grace.  Some will describe today as wonderful coincidence.  I know otherwise.
 
I wonder what God has in store for today.