Serendipity and loving-kindness

There’s a wonderful Hebrew word, "hesed," that is used to describe our Father God. It’s often translated loving-kindness, or steadfast love, but there is really no word like it in English. It’s the serendipitous details that gleam with loving-kindness when life is complicated or discouraging.

Webster’s dictionary defines serendipity as, “valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”

Some examples that have happened to us recently:

• In Kenya, I was feeling lonely with many things to do on a wet cold Kijabe evening. One of those things was to contact Julie who works in another African country.  I called her on What’sAp, only to find out she was visiting Kijabe!  We had a lovely evening together talking about possibilities for wheelchair services where she works.  
• Last week, while feeling somewhat daunted by the road ahead, I walked into the Laundry room at Chatfield State Park in Littleton, CO and heard someone call my name.  I did a double take and really looked at the young couple with four boys. It was Linz and Nick Helspur and their kids, LeTourneau grads from Iowa!!  They came over to our camper to eat popcorn and hear about what we’re doing. 
• This past weekend we were in a crowded and noisy RV park, and we’re still $1000 short on monthly donations. Yet yesterday evening we found a great bike path and saw 21 cotton-tails and a fantastic sunset.
• Sunsets, light on the grass, flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, birds! Gratuitous beauty all around. Maybe what speaks to you is different, maybe its children's faces, birdsong, music. So much beauty if one just looks!

There’s an old hymn I love, “for the beauty of the earth, for the wonder of the skies, for the love that from our birth over and around us lies. Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”