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I Know An Egret When I See One

A couple of years ago some friends and I were having a heated argument about birds in a casino.

 

It turned out none of us knew as much about birds as we thought, so we were arguing hopelessly about which bird was which. (I know this is ridiculous, but bear with me)  

 

This prompted my friend Cameron to assert (with complete confidence) words we will never let him forget:

 

“I know an egret when I see one!”  

 

As it turned out the big white bird in question was not an egret (thanks Google!).  But if we hadn’t thought to check, I would have lived the rest of my life believing that I had seen an egret in a casino.  

 

But my friends and I corrected the mistake, because we were skeptical.

 

And when uncertainty over a minor issue like bird taxonomy is enough to make us pull out our phones, it’s to be expected that whenever I talk about something far more important, like God and the ways I’ve experienced His work in my life, it’s almost always met with skepticism.  

 

Even among my Orthodox friends.

 

Case in point: last week the Archdiocesan Council met here in New York, and it was a very long week for the Y2AM team.  We got very little sleep, spent a lot of time working, and when Friday rolled around I think it’s safe to say we were all exhausted.  

 

I, in particular, needed a boost.  So by the time Christian and I made it to Orthodoxy on tap Friday night (part one of a pretty awesome REAL Weekend), I was more than a little out of it.  I can’t emphasize this enough, I was a shadow of my normally vibrant self.

 

But when we walked in the door I was met with a familiar face, Fr. Michael Lambakis from Houston, Texas.  Fr. Michael is one of my favorite people and seeing him so far from home was completely unexpected.  It was a welcome surprise, and offered me a great relief after a long and stressful week.

 

It was exactly what I needed.  

 

But it was more than just a comfort.  Seeing Fr. Michael, a priest I respect so much, was like a revelation of God’s love and care.  It was a reminder that, no matter how difficult life may get, God is watching over me.

 

I don’t think that was a coincidence.

 

I’ve been very blessed to see God and the Saints very clearly at work in my life and the lives of those around me, especially at times when I truly needed it.

 

For example, I wrote a while back about how St. Phanourios has always been active in my life.  When I’ve talked about St Phanourios miraculously finding my lost things it’s always been well received.  

 

But when I relayed the story of Fr. Michael to friends, it was met with so much more skepticism than I was expecting.  I couldn’t believe that there was doubt over something I thought was so clearly a gift from God.  It felt like I was arguing over an egret again, except this time we couldn't just check our phones for a quick answer.  

 

Which has led me to wonder: when are things actually from God and when am I simply choosing to interpret things as such?

 

What is coincidence and what is God’s will?

 

When is it an egret and when is it just a big white bird?

 

And how much does it matter?

 

When I have moments like I did last week, where I feel like God is acting in my life to remind me that everything is going to be okay, it reaffirms my faith.  I know that, even when I’m having a hard time, I’m being watched over.  That God is always here, there, and everywhere.

 

Did God specifically arrange Fr. Michael’s travel schedule so he would appear in New York right when I needed a boost and encouragement?  Honestly, I can’t say for sure.  Maybe it really was just a huge (and happy) coincidence.  

 

And that’s ok.  Because God doesn’t need to cause something in order to make the most of it.  He can transform everything, from our most terrible mistakes to the most mundane of coincidences, into an opportunity for grace.  

 

Just like He transformed the Cross from a weapon of death and defeat into the instrument of victory and eternal life.

 

I believe that God acts in my life.  I believe that I am in His care.  

 

And sometimes that care involves baptizing the ordinary and lifting it into the miraculous.  

 

So did God send Fr. Michael to New York to encourage me during a rough week?  Maybe, maybe not.  Yet in that moment,when I looked across the room and saw a kind and Christ-centered priest, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind about why Fr. Michael was there with me.  

 

Even if it was a coincidence, in that moment God made it so much more than that.  He used my faith to strengthen my faith.    

 

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses,[h] Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him.

 

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:53-58)

 

Christ didn’t work miracles in Nazareth because the people didn’t believe.  Maybe the converse is true, that our faith (or our openness to faith) gives God the space to work in our lives, to transform a mere coincidence into providence.  

 

Things would have been a lot different in my life if I just dismissed Fr. Michael’s presence as a coincidence.  If I did, his presence wouldn’t have reminded me of God’s loving care, and it wouldn’t have given me the reassurance I needed in.  

 

If we focus too much on whether or not the bird is an egret, we forget to ask the more important question:


Why is there a bird in this casino?

 

Charissa is a Young Adult Ministries Coordinator for Y2AM.  Charissa grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and studied political science at the University of Utah.  She enjoys sunshine, the mountains and snowcones.  Charissa currently lives in New York City.

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