10/12/15 – So I’m in Nashville for the 46th annual Dove Awards, which happens tomorrow. There was a pre-award show event… a comedy show that started at 7 tonight that I planned on hitting solo and was all amped to mingle, but when I got there, I found out they had already reached capacity. Now, the Uber ride to and from the venue costed about $60 total and I was almost blown until in that same moment I realized what was really happening.
During the ride to, my driver started conversation about where I was headed. Once he found out it was Christian related, he turned the volume up on his radio and Christian music started playing. I loved his excitement. We started talking about the music, about the history, about God’s blessings, and I left him with a gospelgoodies.com magnet that boosted Philippians 4:6. He said he’d spread the word about my website to his 4000 followers and was proud to see a young lady putting on for God. Without knowing me, and from only a very short convo, he prayed for me before I got out the car.
Just 15 minutes after when I had to call another Uber ride, the next driver was one who kind of fell away from church. The conversation shifted into God-talk when he asked me about Lipscomb University where the event was. He thought I went to school there but I explained that I was just in town for the award show. He started telling me about his experience with the church, learning about different denominations and etc., but what stood out was when he said he felt like church wasn’t for him. I’m glad I was able to share with him that while church is good for the Word and for being around like-minded people, what he believes, how he receives it and how he feeds himself the Word… his relationship with Jesus matters more. “Church” can happen anywhere. We kind of had “church” in the car. I left him with that gospelgoodies.com Philippians 4:6 magnet, too.
Anyway, I said all that to say, all of our steps are ordered. It’s actually funny, creepy, crazy and amazing all at the same time. Next time things don’t go your way and you feel like you’ve wasted time or whatever, step back and think about what’s really happening. What might God be protecting you from? What might God be giving you as an alternative? What is God using you for? Something is happening…
And it’s not always about us. People are watching. When things don’t go your way, how are you reacting? Are you feeding the negative or letting things out of your control go? In either, there are people who benefit from your bumps in the road.
I don’t think it was by accident that I got to chat with those two guys. Maybe the reason I was compelled to come to Nashville a day early and head to the comedy show was actually so I could meet them. I can only hope that they gained from our conversation as much as I gained from meeting them. I also haven’t slept over 3-4 hours a night since I officially launched gospelgoodies.com. God could have also been saying, “get your sleep on in that fluffy Marriott bed, girl!”
So on that note, I’m going to call it a night and try to finally get some real sleep.
If you made it down this far in reading though, shout out to you. As simple as it was, tonight just moved me! Hope this story moves you, too.
— Aliya Faust
