Coincidences?

Coincidence: “An event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental”

I was reading Jentezen Franklin’s blog about “With the Ability…God Supplies”. He was explaining that when God gives you an assignment, he gives you all you need to fulfill it. The lesson here is: Don’t apologize for the skills you lack, but to discover the gifts God has given you and put them to work for his kingdom.
This got my wondering of what my life would have been like and how much better it could have been if I understood these truths growing up? And just like that, SMACK, it hit me; “Don’t concern yourself of what could have been. I let you go through what you did for a reason. Now take these experiences and your gifts and move forward. Now that you understand these truths, make the difference now!” Ok, guilty! I immediately went back to past conversations I’ve had with people saying, “I couldn’t imagine having a facility like Newspring growing up…and how it could have affected my life.” When the truth is, I did have the access but didn’t want to listen or step forward and accept my accountability for my actions. In other words, God allowed the things in my past to happen, so that I can help move his name forward at Newspring. It is no coincidence that Sara and I moved to Greenville without knowing anything about it. It’s no coincidence that I lost my job shortly after I moved here. It’s no coincidence that I decided to go back to school in my early thirties to learn a trade, and at that school I met one of my classmates, Brandon McClure. It’s no coincidence that I had a major car accident that could have destroyed many lives, but I escaped with minor injuries. It’s no coincidence that my classmate Brandon, in our last quarter of school before graduation, was tragically killed in a car accident while driving home from Columbia one night. Quick background: Brandon and I were polar opposites! Me: big talker, Brandon: good luck getting a peep out of him. Me: big socialite, drinker, as far from God as you could be. Brandon: complete opposite of everything I was. So I wrestled with the fact that he was killed, and I was spared. This troubled me more than anyone will ever understand! I kept hearing something saying to me that “I’m not finished with you yet”. But I just discarded that as “crazy talk”. Well, it’s no coincidence that Brandon had recently left a company he was working with, because it wasn’t the type of drafting and design he wanted to pursue. It’s no coincidence that I took his place at that same company after he left. I also believe that it’s no coincidence that I met a Scott at this company, who was continually talking about this church he went to. I had had enough, and wanted to see this place for myself. So Sara and I went one weekend in August 2007. We decided that we would give this church 3 weeks, and then try out another one MUCH closer to our home. We never made it to the second church. We kept saying to ourselves: “What an awesome church this would have been to grow up in”. We had no idea that there were plans for a Greenville Campus. Sara and I made the decision to join a church nearly an hour away, simply because of the changes it so rapidly made in our lives. Once again, no coincidences that a Greenville Campus opened up. “I couldn’t imagine growing up in a church like that”, well, now we’re expecting a baby girl, and I must say, it is no coincidence that God allowed my and my family to go through my trials and tribulations to get me to understand who he is, and that our daughter is going to have the opportunity to grow up in a church like Newspring. (Oh, and our daughter to be wasn’t expected). What a phenomenal opportunity our little girl is going to have! And the last non-coincidence, at least for the moment, is that my father completely blew us all away this past Sunday when he was one of over 200 people that gave their heart to the Lord. It’s a Christmas service that I will never, ever forget.
In the words of Ed Young: “God is preparing you for what he has prepared for you.” There are no coincidences!