This blog accompanies the video that can be found here.
Chance Encounters
We’ve all met people in strange and unusual ways. Some are chance encounters that brought us a joyful moment or a moment of anger and frustration. Most of these encounters are brief and are quickly forgotten.
Imagine for a moment one such encounter…
You are standing in line — to buy a drink, or get gas, or to use the facilities. The person behind you is also waiting. And a conversation begins simply:
“Hot day…”
“Yeah”
Seeing that the other person has a Patriot’s sweatshirt, and, to avoid an awkward moment of silence, you say, “Patriots fan, huh?”
“Yeah, in fact, we have tickets for today’s game.”
“I’m a Bills fan myself, but I drove three hundred miles to see Tom Brady play. He’s one of my favorites.”
“Wow, you traveled three hundred miles, huh? You must be exhausted.”
“Yeah, but it’s worth it.”
“Are you going to meet friends?”
“No. Everyone was too busy, so I came alone. Can you give me directions to the stadium?”
“Just follow us. Wanna join us at the game?”
Such chance encounters sometimes become lasting friendships. Some change our lives. They can cause us to evaluate where we are and where we are going.
The chance encounter of the woman at the well opened a dialogue between a man and a woman, a Samaritan and a Jew, a sinner and the Messiah – an encounter frowned upon in that era. But they did meet. And they did talk. And her life changed because Jesus opened her eyes to her sinfulness and to the gifts that He offered — living water that heralds everlasting life. From one brief encounter with a stranger, her life was changed and given new purpose, as was the life of the villagers who heard her testimony.
Just one brief encounter can change our lives, too, and give us new hope and purpose.
- Have you experienced any such encounters?
- How did your life change?
- Or did you walk away from a possible encounter only to discover later that it could have been special?