A Word Aptly Spoken

Godwink.  This is a term that I have come to love. I’ve heard people talk of having had a Godwink, and there have even been a few movies based on the term which tell of real life events.  While some people may look at things and describe them as conincidence, others may notice them as being an answer to prayer or a message that just seems to be God letting his presence be known. Godwinks occur when a personal experience, an event, or some communication seem to be expressly a sign for you that God is working on your behalf, that he has seen your need, and he is letting you know it.

Often I see, or read, or hear things at just the right moment.  It seems uncanny how there will be words, a song, a meme, a passage in a book or sermon that resonates with me.  I’ll look at my bookshelves deciding what to read next and be drawn to a certain book that has been sitting there for quite awhile.  I start reading and it seems to be more than a coincidence for this to have arrived at the top of my TBR pile just at the perfect moment.  It will seem as if the author, or God through the author, is speaking directly to me.  Other times someone will say something, I’ll read a quote, or see a meme that pierces through to reach my heart.

Sometimes I have felt this within the lyrics of a song – one I’ve heard many times, but it pops up just at the moment it’s needed. I remember one day getting in my car after a very exasperating experience.  I turned on the car and immediately the radio began playing “Just Breathe” by Jonny Diaz.  I sat, listened, and calmed before driving.  It certainly felt like more than coincidence.  My father related a similar incident once.  He was angry, frustrated, and could feel his blood pressure rising.  He left a business quite angry and, just like my experience, got into the car only to have the radio start playing a certain song.  It was the song that he and Mom thought of as “their song” and he could feel her telling him to get a grip, slow down, and calm down.  Maybe her and God.

One of the ways this often happens is that I’ll show up at church and the pastor seems to be speaking directly to me.  One time it was when I took three of my grandchildren to church.  On that particular Sunday, the pastor got sick that morning and another pastor from the staff was suddenly in charge of preaching.  He dug out a sermon he had written and used it that day.  The sermon dealt with, among other things, how hard it is to see God as your good father when you’ve had an abusive earthly father.  It wasn’t an accident that these children were there for that service.  They were meant to hear those words from someone who shared the same kind of experience they had endured.

Today’s service at my church seemed to be one of those moments. We had snow yesterday. It is cold.  Maybe the roads weren’t as good as my street looked.  I’m not really in a good place today to be around people – a lot on my mind.  I was tempted to stay home and watch the livestream.  But at the last minute I really felt like I needed to be in the church with other people.  

That decision was a good one.  The experience first lifted me up because many new friends and acquaintances came over to me to tell me that they were praying for my dad who is having surgery tomorrow morning.  They not only remembered, they remembered the day and time.  And they are praying for me too.

Ironically, given how much impact it had on me, today’s message was a very short one because we were installing new deacons and elders along with having communion.  Yet within this service I felt like there were words that I was supposed to hear and read.  There were words that I wanted to put on my bathroom mirror so that I could start my day with the affirmations held in them. Had I watched the livestream, I wouldn’t have the words in my hands right now.  

Not only were the words personal to me, they came when I needed them, when I was feeling very vulnerable, less than, not quite enough – an anxiety that I’ve wrestled with all of my life.  I know it is also an anxiety that a couple people I love combat on a daily basis.  

I felt the need to share these words today.  My first thought was to send them to two people in particular.  But that wasn’t enough.  I felt that I had to share more widely. Maybe you are one of the many who are in the same spot, and you are the reason I feel so strongly about sharing these words.  

I’m going to leave the words here for you.  I’m not going to embellish and reflect on them in this post.  I’m doing that for myself and will allow others to do the same.  But if anyone wants to talk about them, I would be more than happy to have a conversation.  

The first words came during the Prayer of Confession early in the service.  

Loving God, from the very beginning, you breathed life into us and called us good.  However, somewhere along the way we replaced “good” with “not enough.”  Somewhere along the way we turned up the volume on that phrase and began to doubt our own self-worth.  Forgive us, for this is not what you have taught us. For when the world tells us we are not enough, you call us beloved. Show us how to return to that truth. Show us how to let go of our weariness and rest in the good news.  

The other passage that I want to share came toward the end of the sermon when Pastor Kathryn Johnson was quoting a passage Sanctified Art* uses as the final affirmation of faith for their Advent study.

Believe that the God you see in Scripture is a God of love. Believe that God created you and delights in that creation. Believe the psalmist who says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Believe that, just as God called Jesus “beloved,” God extends this same term of endearment to us. Believe that no matter our earthly challenges, nothing could take away that sacred title from you.

You could fail every test, miss every goal, drop every ball, and you would still be God’s beloved. Therefore, cling to this promise like a rock in a storm. Anchor yourself with this good news, allowing the anxiety of the day to roll over you as best you can, because you know where you belong. You are a child of God. You are beloved. Strive to live this way.

There is another excellent passage with in Kathryn’s words.  You should probably listen to it.  You can do so by going to Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church’s website or their Facebook page.  I’ve saved the livestream so I can hear all of this when I need it.  

Remember: You are loved.  You are worthy.  In the words of Aibileen Clark to Mae Mobley (in The Help), “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.” And using the word my granddaughter used to quote Maya Angleou (sort of), you are “menomenal.”**

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*Sanctified Art provided the programs of study that Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church has been using through Advent and Lent. They include beautifyl art, poetry, daily meditations, and other resources. This year’s Advent study theme was “How Does a Weary World Rejoice?”

** “menomenal” is a child’s pronunciation after hearing the poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou. The poem is among my favorites, but hearing a child claim boldly, “I AM MENOMENAL!” is even better!