Have you heard the song by Cochran & Co., Parking Lot?
“I’ve heard other stories just like mine
Your love moved through a song at the perfect time
You don’t just wait at the altar for us to walk the aisle
You grab our heart right through that radio dial
It was a still small voice
On a Tuesday night
Like you were right there with me
On the passenger side
You turned that car into a mountain top
Oh, I met Jesus in a parking lot”
It reminds me of my “God moment.” In my past blogs, you can read how my journey to becoming a Christian came to fruition over years. How I was initially invited to church by an acquaintance. How God found me in my moments of weakness. How joining groups and befriending other Christians helped me grow and find who I truly am in God. After all of this, I distinctly remember the moment I became “all in;” the moment I had never felt closer to God. That moment came in a parking lot.
Throughout my years of growing in my faith, I have met many Christians who not only helped me grow, but also became my closest, most sincere friends. While I was developing many meaningful relationships, I was simultaneously losing commonality and understanding in others. I tried to share my belief, where my free time was going, and how I was able to turn to God in times of anxiety, fear, and joy. Still, multiple connections grew thin and frail.
After years of being a Christian, one much-needed conversation – even though it was difficult, uncomfortable, nerve racking – was very necessary. As I went to meet this person to have this talk, I pulled into the parking lot in the pouring rain. Soon, a rainbow stretched across the landscape. My anxiety eased, and when I met my friend inside, my words flowed, and this overwhelming weight that sat on my shoulders for years was lifted. Back in my car, I sat. I spent a while listening to Christian music on the radio. Walking Free by Micah Tyler came on.
I had never felt closer to God than I was in that moment, listening to the radio, in my car, sitting in a parking lot. It is true! God meets us where we are. We see him, not often in big miracles and overcoming mountains, but most often in every day, ordinary moments. In landscapes and flowers; in the laugh of a child; in a comment and smile.
“There’s no place we’re out of reach
Your love can show up like it did for me”
- Cochran & Co.
I read a story that was going around social media that struck me. “…as a modern woman I feel like I’m never ‘free’ enough from my responsibilities, never in a quiet enough space I want with God.” Her response floored me, “That is why God comes to women. Men have to climb the mountain to meet God, but God comes to women wherever they are.”
In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well as she gets water for her home.
In Genesis 16, the angel of the Lord came to Hagar while she was on the run from her mistress bringing her comfort and a child, Ishmael, which means God hears.
In Matthew 28, an angel of the Lord came down from heaven to tell Mary of Jesus’ resurrection.
In Luke 10, Jesus goes to Martha and Mary’s home and expresses to Martha her need to focus on Him and not worldly needs.
God comes to us! We can climb a mountain or go into a church building, but we can also search for those everyday moments where he meets us. Listen for him in the quiet, in a song, in a comment or in nature. He is omnipresent – everywhere, all the time. As my five-year-old says, “He is air!”
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
A former teacher, coach and personal trainer, Kristin Ryan now loves being a stay-at-home mom. As someone who has more recently found Christianity, she enjoys learning and growing in her faith and is excited to share her experience with others. Kristin and her husband, Casey, have three small children (one was born during the pandemic) and one big dog.
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