I stepped off the escalator with a focus on the signs to direct me to the correct exit. The airport was one of the most familiar to me, but I hadn’t walked through it for a couple years, and it was in the middle of a remodel. As I paused for a second to make sure I was heading in the right direction, I was nearly tackled.
But it was a good tackle, because it was a best friend who was picking me up. I just didn’t know she wasn’t waiting curbside. I was not disappointed to see her a few minutes sooner than I expected. I had already waited through the pesky pandemic years. I had already waited the many months after making initial plans. I was there. She was there. We were together, and it felt wonderful.
We drove to a restaurant near her home and sat lakeside to catch up. We shared updates and stories. We made plans for the coming days. We asked questions that had been on our minds but didn’t easily fit into our video chats. But one thing we had already discussed was approaching the long weekend together as a reset—a spiritual reset where we’d step away from our daily routines to make space and listen.
While I don’t feel as if God tackled us, I definitely experienced a close connection. I thought at times I was catching up with him, but then I’d think perhaps I was slowing down enough to let him catch up with me, as if he had patiently been staying close but waiting for me to pause.
If I’m honest, I’m okay with God tackling me. I don’t think he does it often. It’s not his typical approach. But I definitely felt his presence, his touch, his firmness, his reminders, and his reassurance.
Pure Purpose 