“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalms 23:5).
Before I moved to Seattle, I prayed that God would prepare a table before me and put me exactly where He wants me. Slowly but surely, I’ve seen glimpses of the community He has prepared. I’ve felt the care of the shepherd putting oil on the sheep to protect it. I expected to feel alone in my faith, but I’ve been blown away by the presence of believers all around me:
- During our dorm meeting, I noticed my RA was wearing a cross necklace. I asked her about it later and she shared that she’s a Christian too! Finding this out on the first week of school was the biggest comfort. I’ve been thinking a lot about God’s promise to watch over us, “The Lord keeps his eyes on those who fear him” (Psalms 33:18). Knowing that the person who is literally responsible to watch over me in my dorm is a follower of Christ felt so symbolic and powerful.
- At orientation, the guidance counselor leading the session asked everyone to write down what we were passionate about and share our answers with the person next to us. I included “religion” in my list (admittedly, I was scared and wanted to keep my response vague). After sharing with the girl next to me, she asked if I was religious. I told her I was a Christian and her face lit up. She explained that she’s Catholic. Even on the first day, God was showing me that the body of believers in Seattle is so much bigger than myself.
- I went to a concert with a friend and the singer jokingly said to the crowd, “What’s the key to a healthy relationship?” Someone shouted out, “Jesus!” I laughed because I was so shocked. Right after someone else shouted, “NOT Jesus!” But I’ll take what I can get. 🙂
- In class, my professor asked us to type a sentence about our identities and he would put them on the board. I wrote, “Child of God.” I was terrified it was going to pop up on the screen as he scrolled through the responses of my 200+ classmates. Mine never came up. Instead, I saw, “Daughter of the most high” and “Daughter of Christ.” When those responses came up on the screen, the professor didn’t have a visceral reaction like I feared. He nodded and said, “Okay some religion coming through.” One boy behind me even started clapping softly. I felt both silly and inspired. I had been living in fear when all along there were Jesus-lovers all around me. They might even be sitting next to me!
- A few days ago, I went to the pumpkin patch with a church group. As we were standing in a long line to get apple cider, our leader started talking to a guy in front of us. I don’t know what they spoke about, but when we got to the front of the line, the man offered to pay for us. There were about 25 of us, and we were ordering a lot of donuts and cider. It was not a small gesture. We thanked him multiple times and he humbly said that he” just wanted to help out the community.” His generosity showed me God’s heart to care for His children.
- At a Mariner’s game I saw a guy wearing a shirt that said, “Heaven is my home, I’m just here recruiting.”
- A man was wearing a hat with the words “Power of God” stitched into it at a hockey game.
- At least once a week, there’s a church tabling in the quad (handing out donuts and inviting students to come).
- There are a handful of Christian clubs and bible studies on campus (so many that it’s impossible to attend them all).
- There are at least four churches that are walking distance from campus.
These examples may seem small, but each of them gave me comfort. Comfort that God is looking out for me and watching over me. Comfort that there is a body of believers all around me. Comfort that I am not walking alone. Comfort that God has placed me exactly where He wants me. Comfort that God has laid out a table before me. Comfort that God is working beyond what I see and know.
“I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14