By Reba
If you already know me this may not come as a complete shock to you, I love people. I mean, I really love people. Put me in a long grocery store line, or a crowded waiting room and I will leave with a new Facebook friend and possibly an invite to a family BBQ.
I’m fairly certain I was like this as an adolescent. It carried over into my high school years where I spent numerous hours in Vice Principal Shirtee Evans’ office asking for repentance for my social sins. Little did I know that all of those interpersonal and leadership skills would lead to my future career.
Lucky me, there are career paths that actually encourage you to be social, network and make new connections without having to report to the Principal’s office. In the insurance industry you have the potential to meet hundreds of people in a years time…between customers, referrals, seminars and networking. It’s very rare to thrive in this world as a wall flower.
If you’re not careful you run an unusually high risk of not taking the time to smell the roses, so to speak. Some connections happen for a purpose and when we are so caught up in our own ambitions we can miss them.
One day I received a text from a colleague advising she had shared my contact information with a potential customer from South Louisiana and asked if I’d be willing to accommodate. Without hesitation I offered my services and called the referral. We went through the business motions like normal and it didn’t take me long to realize that this was a divine connection.
She was very business minded and intelligent and at the same time had this completely infectious joy about her that was indescribable. We hit if off immediately and I anticipated meeting her in person. The day before our meeting I couldn’t help but tell her that she had this special joy and peaceful spirit.
Being the extrovert that I am I didn’t hesitate to let her know how I feIt. I’ll never forget her exact words to me. She said, “Reba, you would never believe that tomorrow will be one year since I lost my precious son and God has been so good to me I have nothing to complain about.”
Her words hit me like a freight train because no mother wants to hear this story. No mother wants to live this story. If you didn’t know how great God was you may have even been a little confused or taken aback at the peace and confidence in her voice.
She went on to tell me about his beautiful life and how she always confessed positive things over his life even when he didn’t act in a positive manner. She spoke of his testimony and how he was blessed with his dream job prior to his untimely death.
We met in person the very next day and by this time I felt as if I were meeting a best friend I’d known for years. We had shared joy, sadness, and a common bond of motherly love. As if that weren’t enough, we even shared the same iPhone with the exact same matching cover!
Being in the insurance business for almost 25 years I choose not to lose sleep over the many overlooked divine coincidences. Instead I choose to cherish and recognize each and every new divine opportunity that comes my way.
Like Hebrews 13:1-2 tells us, “Let love of brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”