Valentine's Day Reflections: A Rose, A Pedicure, and Loneliness

Today has been an interesting day of random musings. It involved a rose, a pedicure, and a chat with a lonely stranger in a coffee shop.

The Rose

The day started with a beautiful rose for my beautiful wife, accompanied with a cup of her favourite coffee, and a Bible reading. As a family, we're working our way through the Gospel of Mark. Today, our morning devotion began on the carpet, soaking in the February morning sunshine through the window. It felt good. Having arrived in the sixth chapter of the gospel, the four of us (my wife, and two daughters) took turns reading—using the section headings to indicate the next reader. Once completed, I asked the girls what struck them most from the reading. Here are some responses:

• What's the deal with Herodia's daughter? Mark 6:14-29

• Wow, Jesus had a big family (Mark 6:1-6)

• The disciples seemed normal—they got scared and thought they saw a ghost (Mark 6:49-50)

What followed was a wonderful time of learning as we probed further. We closed with a reading from 1 Corinthians 13 and prayers using the ACTS formula (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication).

Pray for my family.

The Pedicure

The next part of the day involved being treated to a pedicure. For the record, I've never had a pedicure, and I have to confess, I was a little sceptical. Turns out they're okay; I really enjoyed it—an early birthday gift so I couldn't refuse. The whole experience—in a busy chemical-smelling shop run by an efficient and talented team of Vietnamese workers—was new to me. Being an overthinker (which is not always good), I'm prone to try and discover deep meaning in odd places and ordinary experiences.

My scabby feet were assigned to a diligent man with whom I tried ever so hard to create conversation. Slowly, after lots of to-ing and fro-ing, I learned the worker's name and backstory. I won't disclose too much, but he was from a remote part of Vietnam. He had moved to the UK five years ago to find work. I was impressed by his hardworking nature and tried to imagine his challenges. More importantly, I thought about God's love for him. Two very different worlds: the UK and Vietnam.

As he pedicured away, I Googled basic Vietnamese phrases to better relate to him. I discovered the following: cảm ơn (pronounced: kahm uhn) meaning "thank you"; chào tạm biệt (pronounced: chow tham bee-yet) meaning "goodbye." He seemed happy that I made the effort. Once completed, I felt compelled to say thank you with a gift, so I brought him and his colleagues some nibbles. They seemed to appreciate the gesture from the strange Indian man trying to speak Vietnamese.

Pray for him.

The Lonely Stranger

Lastly, later in the day, I struck up a conversation with an elderly lady as we sipped our coffees in a local coffee shop. As she casually flicked through a couple of books beside her, I used the opportunity to strike up a conversation by asking her what she was reading. We then moved on to talk about our lives. I shared much about myself, and then she opened up how her husband had passed away last year and how life without a car had become restricted. She was lonely and appreciated the conversation. She used to be a dog walker and worked for a well-known retail company. I slipped into the conversation my joy in being part of a local church and how I had become a Christian. I'm not sure this part interested her. We ended the conversation with her saying, "It's nice to talk with a person and not just stare at a wall."

Pray for her.

Final Reflection

I really don't know how each of these seemingly disconnected stories connect in the grand scheme of things. But one thing I am sure of is this: as we walk with Jesus, and He puts people in our paths, each person, made in the image of God, is an opportunity to whom we can be salt and light; each is an opportunity to plant seeds.

Random musings.

Photo Credit: Unsplash