Some days I wake up and read something and I don't know why but I have to read it again... and then once again...
And in my mind these words stick and I know my Father's trustworthiness is uniquely boundless, and then I have confirmation days that go like this...
I delivered a plant to a bare little office inhabited by an awkward Chinese man before class and the timing was perfect because we got to have a long chat despite the minor interruption of being given a gift from the Language department chairman who considers himself my father.
I had exactly seven minutes before my last class of the year to go down the hall to another office to pick up my exam copies from some friends who had nearly made me lose it in tears at the banquet the night before.
I was shocked to see more than thirty students in a class that had been averaging around twenty and was blessed that they all seemed to want to be a part of a class picture outside on the football field not an hour later.
I went to lunch with four students who I needed to have one last lunch with to give them a small graduation gift and I know the lunch was meant to be because until the food arrived none of us could look at each other because we were all trying not to cry.
I got a phone call and described the situation to the students I was with who gladly finished quickly and helped me give a book bag of goodies to my beggar children, which was certainly an ordained moment because His goodness and plenty were given witness.
I climbed the crumbly stairs to my apartment and thought about calling my endearingly odd neighbor about when this weekend we could have a last dinner and right as I did that my phone rang and it was him. Come to my house he said.
I went to his room and we found a good time for our dinner and he revealed that this dinner wasn't actually his invitation but another friend's who wanted to have dinner with me. Then why didn't you invite me? I inquired, because I want to have a lunch with you another day he laughed of course all the same people will be there.
I rested for a moment in this soon no longer mine apartment and praised my Father who makes all things good and thanked His Spirit which had so obviously guided every single minute of the day thus far.
I marched into a nearly completely full afternoon class and knew that the students were far more concerned with taking a class picture than reviewing for their exam and so we went outside and took care of that. Moments were sweet as students asked me to come visit their family once more, stand here for a picture, and can all our classroom boys take one together with you?
I took one last picture with our gate grandfather to his delight and walked arm and arm with a student who I wish for all the world I could just take with me.
I waited in my apartment for a former student to arrive and take my last plant home with him. He came, flopped down on the couch, and bemoaned the empty room shaking his head I can't believe you are leaving. He drank a cup of water and said I have a gift for you, but I wouldn't bring it because I didn't want this to be our last time to meet.
I walked with him back out to the school gate to wait for some teachers that needed to take me out to dinner. As we sat in the taxi one who has become a dear friend of mine leaned into me and whispered, I think all of the English teachers will see you to the airport, I am going to arrange for the school to send a bus.
I ate dinner with them and ran into a random friend and we walked around an island arm in arm as the wind cooled our overheated, overfull bodies and I couldn't help but comment again and again at how green all the mountains were this year.
Could it be that the mountains are green and the breeze cool and the day perfectly timed because it all heard me this morning saying again and again...
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in the exult. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before Him, for He is coming.
And days like today are evidence that the heavens, the earth, the sea, the fields, the trees, and I do all that... and I can be sure that His proimse to return is found sure somewhere in the depth of His boundless trustworthiness that revealed itself to me today.
He is coming, back.
and I trust Him.
