An Ordinary Morning in Texas

It was June 2021. We had moved from Seattle to Tennessee in the middle of the pandemic. After months of screens and isolation, I was finally going somewhere. I was going to see people. In person!

The National Religious Broadcasters convention was in Texas that year. I couldn’t wait to meet some of the guests I had hosted on my podcast, Your Spiritual Game Plan.

As you would suspect, the morning Starbucks line was a long one. So I struck up a conversation with the woman in front of me. We talked about what brought us there and where we lived.

“I just moved to the Chattanooga area in Tennessee,” I said.

A young woman in her early thirties was walking by. She stopped. She jumped right into our conversation.

“I live in Chattanooga!”

She introduced herself as Leah and asked how long I had lived there and whether I liked it. We talked about the convention, exchanged cards, and she left with a promise that we’d get together for coffee soon.

The Promise I Didn’t Expect Her to Keep

I’ll be honest. I thought it was a sweet gesture. I loved her welcoming spirit.

But did I really believe a young woman close to my daughter’s age would follow through on coffee with someone her mother’s age?

No.

Shortly after I got home, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Leah. She was inviting me to coffee.

I was surprised. And now I was curious.

We met. Three hours later, she asked if we could meet again.

One Coffee Became a Circle

Soon Leah asked if I would meet her group of friends. Again, I assumed it would be a nice one-time visit.

Then they asked me a question I didn’t see coming. Would I invest my time in mentoring them? Would I lead them in Bible study from a game plan point of view?

I said yes.

Our time together grew into so much more than a Bible study. I got to know these women. I got to know their children. And more kept coming! I’m still laughing about that.

I invited them to my home and fed them and their children as their children played. They invited me to baby showers and birthday parties. 

Then in 2023, my only daughter, Annie Lauren, passed away at age 29.

And these women rallied around me. They have been such a blessing in the deepest valley of my life.

The Invitation We Almost Pass Up

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who’s received an invitation and thought, “I don’t have time for this.“ Or maybe it’ll be a one-time thing.

Maybe it was a coffee date. A new group. A neighbor who wanted to talk a little longer than you planned.

I could have seen Leah’s invitation that way. Meeting strangers, preparing a study, and cooking for a group of moms and their kids takes time and energy.

After Annie passed, it could have felt too hard. But we kept gathering.

And the return on that investment has been more than I could have imagined. I feel more blessed by these women than I can express.

The Lord Himself Goes Before You

Since Annie passed, I have been very intentional about looking for the promise of Deuteronomy 31:8.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” 

Moses spoke these words to Joshua and the people of Israel right before they stepped into a new land without him. They were facing change, loss, and an unknown road. God’s promise was simple. I am already there. I am with you. I will not leave.

So I ask myself this question:

Looking back on this new path I now walk, how far back can I go to see all the ways the Lord Himself has gone before me?

He was putting people and situations in place for such a time as this. People to hold me. People to walk with me. People to fill a space in my life that is now daughterless.

Look Back and Write It Down

Here is one thing I invite you to do this week.

Take out your journal. Write today’s date at the top of the page. Then ask yourself:

How far back can I go to see where God went before me?

Think about the people in your life right now. Where did you meet them? What small moment brought them to you? Write it down.

Dating your entry matters. One day you will look back on this page and see His hand even more clearly than you can today.

And when the next invitation comes, even one that feels small or inconvenient, consider saying yes. You never know what God may already be preparing.

Imagine Looking Back

Imagine a year from now. You open your journal and turn back to that dated page.

You read the names you wrote down. You see the connections you couldn’t have planned. You realize God was working in the Starbucks lines, the carpool lanes, and the quick hellos of your life long before you needed what He was preparing.

What would it feel like to walk into your hardest seasons knowing He is already there?

Today, some of these women gathered to wish me a happy birthday. As I looked around at their faces, I could see it so clearly. God smiled down on us just like He did on that Starbucks line years ago.

He went before me.

He is going before you too.

TELL ME:

Who has God placed in your path that you didn’t see coming? Hit reply and tell me about them, or leave a comment below. I read every one.

And if someone came to mind as you read this, share this post with her. It might be the invitation she needs today.

Walking With You,
Cheri 🌻