The Serendipities of God
As I write this
devotional, I have eight more days to work with the young men at
Some have asked me what will I do now that I have retired…again!
Well, for one thing I intend to write more devotionals.
Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to do so.
I came to Brewer to make a difference in the lives of young people.
But instead, as in most of my encounters to serve Christ, I have found
these teenagers have made a difference in me.
And
there have been others.
This past fall our principal at Brewer, Ms Francis Couey, died of cancer.
Ms Couey loved the kids at Brewer and always seemed to put them first and
foremost in all of her decisions…even the difficult ones.
I will always be thankful for her support of my coaching philosophy.
I was blessed to be able to visit with her only a couple of days before she
died. Our football team had signed a
football for her and I was surprised I was able to gain access to her room to
present it myself. Of course, I
didn’t know God was in the process of arranging for me one of those “change
your life” encounters. There in
the intensive care unit, Ms Couey shared with me in a very unique way her own
encounter with God and that I was a part of it.
I’m not sure I can put into words what I felt in that brief moment.
God’s voice in our life rises far above our abilities to express it.
I had come to Brewer to try to make a difference in the lives of young people.
My times with Ms Couey were limited and yet in the distance she was
watching…watching the “kids” as she would call them.
Maybe it was on the practice field or perhaps at a game on Friday night.
Maybe it was a response she got from a player or parent.
Somewhere…sometime….when no one else was noticing, God whispered His
blessing into a life that was dedicated to serving young people…and she was
listening. I was honored to be able
to share her story at her funeral and to celebrate her eternal life in Christ.
As I left the hospital that day, God’s voice was as clear as I have ever heard
it. “YOU follow me, and I’LL
decide how I will use you!”
A “serendipity” is something that happens to you on a quest for something
else…something wonderful that you weren’t expecting…something that changes
your life while you weren’t even looking.
I went to Brewer to make a difference in the lives of teenagers, but
maybe God had something else in mind…something I couldn’t see…something
that had nothing to do with football. There
is an endless list of people God used to touch my life while at Brewer, people I
would have never none had I not accepted to position of football coach.
Ah…the serendipities of God!
I learned at my father’s death to live each moment to its fullest…to never
take a second for granted. A phone
call to a friend can change your life forever.
A simple “I love you” can change the world.
A sentence prayer can take you to the mountaintop.
A single tear can remind you of what’s important.
And when you least expect it…when you’re not even looking, God sends his
serendipities into your life and reminds you He is always there…always working
in your life.
Thanks be to God for you. May each
of us be prepared for the serendipities of this day that are yet to come.
Love in Christ,
Billy