When God Intervenes

Last weekend my husband and I did what we normally do on a Saturday, we made up a grocery list and went to Aldi's, a grocery store chain that sells discounted food items. We love that store! You meet all kinds of interesting people, some not so fun to listen to, but they're doing what we're doing, shopping for groceries for the upcoming week. It's a staple in their life just like it is in ours. However, on this particular Saturday I was about to meet with God's reconciling grace. As I was walking the cart down the aisle I glanced to my left and saw someone I thought I knew, did a double-take and realized it was indeed an old former friend. She and I had a falling out a few years back, both said some things we shouldn't have and parted ways. She was hurt, I was hurt and that was that. Or so I thought. So to see her in the grocery store shopping for groceries with her husband, just like I was, at first glance caused a fight or flight response in me. I could either ignore her and keep shopping (which I did for a few minutes), or I could step into the opportunity God presented to me to restore a friendship, right there in the grocery store. After first ignoring her I tussled within myself as to what to do. As I continued down the aisle it was inevitable, we were going to meet. What should I do? At the gentle nudge from the Spirit who lives within me I stepped forward and said her name, waiting for her to first, see me, then recognize me, and then wait and see how she would react. She turned, looked at me and a glint of recognition came to her face and instantly we hugged. And it wasn't a quick "hug, hi, how are you, now go away" kind of hug. It felt like all the pent up feelings I had towards this sister in Christ just dissipated into nothing and I felt restored, righted and renewed. We couldn't talk long enough, but both knew we had husbands waiting off to the side to continue our shopping, so we parted and moved on. The next aisle we met again, hugged again, only this time I apologized for what happened between us and she did the same and it was if we had each found a new friend. Oh, how I've missed my friend. And I didn't even really realize it until just then. We had been through so much together and parted on such painful circumstances that reconciling didn't ever seem to be possible. But for God. He knows when it's time to restore. I hadn't been praying about it, hadn't even thought of her for quite a while, but He knows when it's time. How I thank Him for his loving intervention in my life. Would that every broken relationship be renewed in such a way! I don't know why now, why us, for what purpose, but He does and even though we live 50 miles apart I know that I know when we meet up again, and we WILL meet up again, He will be at the center of the relationship and be glorified through it.