Call Me "Coordination Challenged"

Are you a klutz like me?

It is amazing how God seems to be in the middle of everything . . . even broken fingers.

When I was in Grand Rapids in February at Zondervan, the publisher of my book, “Work, Love, Pray,” they gave me the opportunity to meet with a group of young professional Christian women over lunch.

After our prayer, I was to start the buffet line.  I got up, tripped, and did a perfect entry dive toward the buffet table.  I caught myself (barely), but gained a broken finger to go with the salad I scooped on my plate later.

A little embarrassed, yet knowing I needed to remain calm, I joked that now they knew one of my weaknesses was my clumsiness.  Everyone filled their plates and we had a wonderful and blessed conversation together, sharing about life and the challenges of keeping faith at the core while balancing work and family.

But God wasn’t finished with my broken finger.  After self medicating with a splint made of paper clips and tape for three weeks, I finally went to see my favorite doctor.

That brings me to Lauren.  Lauren is a physical therapist, and she’s also a mom trying hard to balance profession, family, and church.  I first met Lauren a few years ago when she made a splint for another broken finger (remember, klutz).  While she worked, I asked her about her kids and told her how much I respected her being able to balance work and family.

She responded, “I have three children now under seven years old.  But I remember you had an amazing business career and were married with three or four kids.  You were an inspiration to me.”

At that point, the Lord said in a whisper, “Tell her about 4word.”  So I got bold.  I told her I was passionate about connecting, supporting, and leading young professional Christian women.  She got so excited about it, and we talked about how sometimes “the church” doesn’t get us professional women.  She said how much she and her friends would be excited about finding support in a ministry like 4word.

Little did she know how much I needed her encouragement that day.

As professional Christian women, we all feel the pressure to be (or at least appear) “all together” all the time.  But God meets us where we are.  He loves our imperfections and embarrassments and he works in them.  Isn’t it amazing how God is in the middle even of a little, broken finger?  He is omnipresent!