Faces of Christ and Eternal Stuff

I recently was on a business trip and I encountered two faces I hope do not fade from memory soon. (A little disclaimer here: I think too much. I just do. No apologies. So if this doesn't make sense, or you just think "that's nice, Sara," at the end of this post, well so be it.) These two encounters struck me as profound and reinforced a trail of thought that has been growing lately.

The first was in Orlando. My colleagues and I were in the Orlando airport early one morning getting ready to settle down and eat our yogurt parfaits before heading to our gate. As we approached a cluster of chairs I noticed a gentleman listening to his MP3 player and reading. Once we sat down I noticed he was reading his Bible. Normally not a big thing, but a comforting and delightful sight to see someone reading their Bible in such a public place. He seemed deep in thought and in his own world as he read. It then struck me that this was probably his morning quiet time with the Lord (it was 6am after all). A strange sensation of emotion pushed over me as two things hit me: 1. it is touching to me to see a man reading the Word of God in a personal setting -- be it my husband or someone else. It tells me that they know who God is and they are not Him. In this culture where men are encouraged (and somewhat required) to have an ego and a facade of self-confidence and succeed in the world's measures, it is refreshing to see a man who delights in the One who made him. With that said, point #2 is that I felt that I had stepped onto a holy ground of sorts. I get distracted too easily for my own good. To grab a quiet place and be able to meet God in that place (albeit a public place) would be an amazing thing. The last thing I would want is to try to tune out 3 ladies chatting about their day as I try to listen to God. My spirit became very unsettled as though I had walked in on someone in a very personal moment. I asked my colleagues if we could please move to another spot. I just wanted to honor his time with God and not be a distraction in it. One of my co-workers wondered if he would think that we moved because he was reading the Bible. We finished breakfast and headed to our gate. As we were about to board, the same gentleman stepped up to our gate, as he had the same flight to Atlanta. My dear colleague extended a hello to him and mentioned that we saw him reading his Bible and that we didn't want to disturb him, but also didn't want him to think that we were disturbed by his reading the Bible (hang with me...). He was very cordial and sincere and mentioned that he had been on a trip in Orlando with little time to himself and was catching up. He was excited to get back to Atlanta and see his family. We told him that we were Christians as well and on a buying trip for a church bookstore. It just made me so thankful that although I do not know his name or anything about him, he is a brother in Christ. From the earlier moment, not a single word was said, but he showed with his life who is #1. If I don't say a single word, would people know God's place in my life?

The next morning in Atlanta, my colleagues and I were having breakfast in the hotel. A woman caught my eye. I couldn't figure out why. I just wanted to keep looking at her as I tried to figure out what it was about her that held my attention. Her expression and demeanor was full of kindness. On rare occasions have I encountered someone where I've thought, "I don't know why, but I want to know this person." She had that same kind of effect. I watched her in conversation with her friend as she listened intently, spoke thoughtfully (although I couldn't hear a word she said). As she came back to the table with her breakfast, she chatted another moment with her friend/colleague. Then she quietly bowed her head as she prayed. Her friend had tried to say something to her as she prayed and apologized when she realized it. This woman responded with compassion and continued the conversation. That's when the lightbulb went off in my head, "she's a sister!" Again, in itself, not a big thing, but while her words were not audible to me, she attracted me with her kindness. Again -- would a stranger be able to look at me and just tell that "there's something about that girl"? Would they see Christ in me, whether they believe in Christ or not?

To change the course we're on just a tad.... it's occurred to me that I think way too much of this life and not a whole lot of my thought process is spent thinking of eternity or eternal things. This quote has crossed into my path several times in the past few months from C.S. Lewis: If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

God is working on me in many facets of this. One being the people with whom I will share eternity. Would it be enough that I would get to spend each day of FOREVER with Jesus, gazing into His face? I can confidently say yes to this (admittedly, I could not always say yes). But then, I get to share eternity and just hang out with some of the people I've most wanted to? Seriously? Yuppers to that as well. And I've pondered that more and more recently. I'm a girl of silly wishes. I wish I could do that. I wish I knew that person better. Or I wish I could spend more time with so and so. But as important as it is to develop relationships, people who share my faith in Jesus will be in Heaven. So there will be time. It will just be later. And knowing we are but a vapor, later will come much quicker than we think. When I think of how much I miss my precious mother-in-law, I am tempted to feel gypped that we only got a few months of each other's life on this earth. But she is where she has longed to be her whole life -- Home, walking with Jesus. And though I miss that lady like crazy I long for the day that we are reunited and we have literally forever to catch up and develop a stronger relationship. I think of so many others, people who have been gone from this earth with whom I will first meet in Heaven (such as my father-in-law). But then I think of my brothers and sisters I'm surrounded by now. For whatever reason our life's circumstances may not be conducive to a close friendship, or we cannot spend a lot of time together, but that will change in Eternity. And I genuinely look forward to that time. Wonderful musicians that love to praise God -- will it be like a giant concert every night, or will I be able to wander the streets of gold and catch one musician, followed by an orchestra, followed by a band?

And that's where I will bring back the first two faces I introduced. I will finally have the chance to meet them properly and sit and find out what God has done in their lives and what was going on when our paths crossed for but a second. I'm continually amazed at the tapestry of His plan that God weaves. We'll finally get to see it from His perspective when we are enveloped in His arms and He lovingly says, "Welcome Home."