a Vision of the Kingdom

I have a rule. It's really more of a guideline than a rule, but I still try to follow it. My rule is this:

Whenever I go to a place at which I think I'll have to wait, I bring a book along, to read while waiting.

Here are some examples: going to the DMV, mailing a package at the Post Office, or going to a doctor's appointment. You get the picture. It's really a brilliant idea (not my own, I stole it from a minister's wife I once knew), an idea which has enabled me to read untold hundreds of pages over the years. It's a really, really good rule... most of the time.

The other day, I broke the rule. Well, not exactly, because I wasn't expecting to have to wait. Silly me. Anyway, in I went, sans-book. I had stopped by the eye doctor to get the nose piece replaced on a pair of glasses. It was a small repair, so I thought I'd be in and out in no time. Again, silly me. It was late afternoon, the office was short staffed, and more than a few folks were already there, at various stages in the fitting of their glasses.

So I sat down to wait. There was a really nice looking iMac computer on the counter (maybe to entertain kids while waiting), so I fiddled with it a bit. But it was not connected to the internet, so my interest quickly waned. "Drat" I thought. What WAS I thinking, not bringing a book in?!?! As I quickly surveyed the other patients waiting ahead of me in the queue, contemplating a trip out to the truck to retrieve my book, my eyes rested on a young dad and his little son, perhaps 7-8 years of age. I watched the optician cleaning a pair of glasses as the man, already wearing glasses, and boy watch. The little boy's eyes were growing wide with excitement and anticipation. It was at this point that the Spirit snuck up behind me and peeled back my Eyelids so that I could See, really See, the wonder and holiness just across the room from me.

The boy was getting his first pair of glasses. His dad wore glasses, and now the son was getting some of his very own. As the optician finished cleaning them and gently fit them on the boy's nose and over his ears, I was overcome by the holiness of the moment. The circumstances that had foiled my obeying my "rule" had provided me an opportunity to be Still and See. I was given a priceless Gift, I was given a Moment of Stillness and Silence in my heart to set aside my agenda, my schedule, my "rule", in order to view something priceless... a proud child taking a step in his father's footsteps and beaming in the Joy of the Moment. It was a moment of Enlightenment for me.

As I sat across the room from this Holy scene, I prayed a prayer of thanks for being given such an undeserved gift. My agenda was to read some pages in a book about God. But instead, I was given a Glimpse of God Himself, and his Holiness. Thank You. I go forward from that day with the determination to open my eyes and ears more to those around me, hoping to catch another Glimpse of the Kingdom right in front of my face!

Grace and Peace