A Holy Moment and a Lost Phone
I’m at the Vincentian Family Center on Saturday. Just before the store opens, I see a co-worker standing in the middle of the floor, gazing straight ahead and mumbling. I look to the right and see no one standing in front of him. I ask: “Who are you talking to?” His reply: “I was having a holy moment!”
I’m not surprised by his answer. This is a very devoted-to-God man on so many levels. He has given his life to God in so many ways of serving in his church and community. He tells me he often has little talks with God throughout his day. His words make me admire him even more. I tell him I have lots of holy moments, too! I am well acquainted with them.
But suddenly, it sounds and feels like anything BUT a holy moment. I am working with a customer in a wheelchair. She is delighted to find a dress she likes and asks me to help her find earrings to match. We finds two sets. Then she wants a shawl because her new dress is sleeveless. I go back with her to that area and find the perfect shawl.
She is in a happy mood as the cashier bags up her items when suddenly we all hear her in a loud voice exclaiming: “Where’s my phone? Someone stole my phone! What kind of place is this that lets someone steal my phone?” She continues to be in panic-mode as we take her off to the side.
Suddenly, MY “holy moment” encounters her piercing exclamations. I say: “Give me your phone number and I’ll call you!” She doesn’t remember her number and begins to thumb through a little notebook, still in utter panic. While she is looking, I am praying with her for divine intervention. I tell her that her angels know where her phone is, so we ask them to help us find it. She finds her number. I dial it and whoa-la, her phone is ringing in her backpack. Oh, joy, joy, joy! She is greatly relieved and apologizes for her outburst.
It was a team effort to get peace and quiet back into the store, but it came. I think: “What if Gerald’s ‘holy moment’ was preparing us for this situation? What if our morning prayer time, when we prayed for God’s presence to be felt in the store, made the enemy so mad that he would try to shake things up. He is such a loser. It just made us all be even moe intentional in having more sales than usual – sales that bless so many!
One of the things about Holy Moments is they are very attractive, and they differentiate us from the culture — from the world. Holy Moments are those when we set aside self-interest, where we set aside what we feel like doing, where we have a little conversation with God, and we say to God, “Alright God, what do You want me to do in this moment?” And then we do exactly what we sense God is calling us to do in that moment.
That is a Holy Moment. And Holy Moments tend to be filled with kindness, generosity, love, patience, thoughtfulness, and courage. Holy Moments are filled with these things, and so, they’re incredibly attractive.
Holy Moments help us to grow in character. They help us become a better version of ourselves. They help us become the person God created us to be. When we create enough of them, people say: “Wow, they have something I don’t have and something I want!”
That’s how the first Christians did it. That’s how they spread across the world at a mach-speed pace. They used the very powerful force of attraction. Let’s be attractive today to someone who needs just a little bit of our time that makes them feel worth living. Let’s make some Holy Moments.