Cake, Careers, and Celebrations

 My sister and I sat in a booth enjoying our Chinese food in celebration of a not-so-local cultural holiday. We weren’t really invested in the holiday itself—other than that it included a delicacy called moon cake—and cake of any kind was reason enough for us to celebrate. I had just completed planning and successfully hosting a workshop for the children’s ministries leaders in my area. My sister and I laid aside our daily challenges to celebrate the hopes, dreams, and careers before us. As we were laughing about our fortune cookie predictions, a woman from an adjacent booth cautiously approached us. She was shaking nervously and apologetically addressed us. “I never do this, but ever since you two ladies walked in, I have the strong impression that I am to pray for you. I don’t mean to offend you,” she said, turning to me, “but I feel it the most with you. I get the feeling something big is weighing you down, and you’re not sure about the path before you. Are you ladies Christians?”

We confirmed that we were and cautiously inquired of her background. It became clear to my sister and me that this woman’s impression was of the Lord. We prayed together and thanked her for listening to the promptings of our heavenly Father. She seemed slightly less embarrassed now. We shared a piece of cake with her and her husband.

 I have often thought about the incident since then, always dismissing it with a shrug and a passing comment of,

 “Well, that was strange.” Yet today, the things that have been on my mind are before me with the same intensity the woman seemed to have felt for me that day. Career decisions I’ve had to make over the past couple of days will place me on an uncertain path, and if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s this: I don’t like uncertainty. The strangeness of the restaurant encounter has given way to the message I believe God was sending me. God is still in control. He sees and knows all. He can speak anytime, anywhere, and through anyone.

Always be kind to one another. We don’t know what others are carrying behind those jokes and smiles. Most important, celebrate what God has done and is about to do in your life!

Wendy Williams