15th December
Coffee, Interrupted
I had just arrived at the bookstore to promote my latest book, Swansong. I had already spoken somewhere that morning, so was particularly grateful when a staff member offered me a free coffee. I checked my book table and prepared myself to greet potential customers, all the while longing for that coffee to arrive. The next moment, a man approached.
‘Do you remember me?’ he asked.
I gazed at him, puzzled. Eventually, he said his name, and the memories came flooding back. I had last seen him fifty years earlier when he arrived in Sydney from a country town as a shy seventeen-year-old to begin his first job!
Just then, my longed-for coffee arrived, but I put it aside as he proudly introduced his wife who, I discovered, loves my books.
‘There’s one I can’t get hold of, however,’ she told me. ‘Such a shame!’
‘Don’t worry,’ I responded. ‘I’ll try to track down a second-hand copy for you.’
Soon, I was listening to her own amazing journey from horrendous abuse to deep faith in God. Many potential customers walked past as we talked – and my coffee grew colder. Yet I sensed this was the key reason God had me there that afternoon – not to chat at surface level with the many but to connect heart-to-heart with this one beautiful lady and her husband.
I have now located her longed-for book, and we will catch up again soon. It is the start of a beautiful friendship, surely arranged by God.
How important to discover God’s agenda for our days – even if it involves a coffee interruption! In this upcoming, busy Christmas season, may we connect with those God has for us to connect with – and may we focus on their needs rather than our own.
