This morning I was talking with Mom and Dad and then Dad asked me what God had been teaching me lately... I think the best way to summarize it would be perspective. More specifically, having an eternal perspective while living out life every day. As today unfolded much like a typical Jamaica day does... nothing going according to what I originally planned, I was brought to my knees before the Lord as I wondered how many Divine appointments I have missed because of my lack of patience. Too many times I take my eyes off of having an eternal perspective and get caught up on channel #1-the past, Channel #3 the future, Channel #4 the What if's when I really need to be focusing on channel #5 Eternity with channel #2- the present in the small screen within the screen.
Today God showed up in a big way illustrating the point Dad and I talked about this morning... I took Dayne to the airport and had several students with me when we went. I was expecting to 'drop and go' but the students and Yvonne wanted to go in and wait in line and say good bye (for all MTI'ers, say good bye the right way). I parked the bus not overly happy with the change in plans. After they all came out, we started driving up top road heading back to school. Kishaun was in the front seat and was signing to me while I was driving something about watching airplanes. Catching glances at him while driving took me until reaching KFC to figure out they wanted to go to free beach and watch until they could wave goodbye to Dayne just before takeoff. But that's like 1.5 hours from now, is what I was thinking! Turned around and headed there anyway. Watched planes for a while and then did get to wave to Dayne and see him waving back(we were closer than we were supposed to be :). After that we headed to the store and my heart had changed seeing their love for Dayne and wanting to show him how special he is to them. After shopping, I took them all to Wendy's(just opened here!!) and told them I would buy them all dinner. While in line a man turned around and recognised the kids. He manages a cable station here in Jamaica and had been up to school to video them last year when they won the national awards in Kingston for the Deaf dance competition! He was sooo excited to see them and said he would stop over to our table after we got our food. He came over and I interpreted for him as he shared with Kishaun, Mario, Neru and Alecia that he recently had to go in for a hearing test and is rapidly loosing his hearing. Through tears he told them that it was a Divine appointment that we saw him there today... He had been thinking about those specific kids for the last couple of weeks and specifically that morning! He told them how much he respects them, admires them and has been encouraged thinking about them and all they can do in light of his situation now. With tears streaming down his face he told them about how he now understands the feeling of being looked at differently because of having hearing aids and can now relate to them in a much deeper way. I was touched by what he shared, but what got me... 'my' kids telling him they would pray for him!!!! Couldn't have been more touched especially realizing how easily that meeting could have been missed because so many times my eyes are on the past, the what if's, worrying about the future instead of doing something today that affects eternity by focusing on souls instead of schedules.