Feature Article
A Divine Encounter
by Edie Vega
Sometimes
we have encounters that can only be from God. Such was my experience in
the Atlanta airport after the 2004 National Women's Ministry Forum. I
arrived at the airport three hours early, thinking I would use the time
prior to my departure to review and prepare for a Bible study. I sat
down to have lunch and after a few minutes noticed a young woman
looking for a place to sit. I offered her a seat at my table.
She sat down and we exchanged some polite conversation - until I told her I was returning home to Miami. For the next 10 minutes she told me how ill-mannered the people in Miami were and how awful her vacation there had been. After giving me a few more details of her life, she asked, "What do you do?"
I responded, "I'm with a Christian organization. I work with young women, helping them make right choices and decisions so they can achieve their goals and accomplish God's purpose for their life. As a result, when they reach their 40s and 50s, they are not lost and disappointed, and because someone helped them, they are able to reach out to younger women and help them in the same way."
"I knew it!" she said, to my amazement. I asked her to tell me her story. As I looked into her eyes, she began to relate that her first husband had been a minister and was abusive. Sunday mornings, on their way to church, he would slap her. She would fix her makeup, sit in front of the church, and listen to his preaching. After the service she would put on a smile and greet everyone. This went on for 16 years . . . and no one knew. They eventually divorced. He's still preaching and married to the girl who once was her best friend.
"Everyone thought I was the bad one and no one believed me," she said. By this time I was feeling her pain and both of us were crying.
I have always been able to find examples in the Bible for anything a woman has gone through, with the exception of physical abuse. Some time ago, I asked God to give me insight on where I might find a story to share with women in this situation. God reminded me of the physical abuse He endured when He paid the sacrifice for our sin. I told my new friend, "Jesus knows what it means to be physically abused and to hurt. He has felt your pain. He has identified with you ... He too, was abused."
She replied, "I need you. Do you have an e-mail address?" We exchanged addresses and she said, "This was a God thing, because I missed my first flight this morning."
Astonished, I replied, "This really is a God thing! I didn't have to be here this early." As we hugged and said good-bye I assured her that I would pray for her. The woman who looked back and smiled was different from the one who sat down earlier.
The encounter with this young woman has impacted me deeply. Her words, "I need you," have affirmed the reality that women need other women to shepherd and encourage their hearts and souls. We need to be able to speak truth into one another's lives, feel one another's pain, and remind each other that Jesus cares for us individually. Women today need to know that He understands and offers healing and hope. Are we aware of the need around us? Are we willing to start by hearing their stories?
Edie Vega and her husband, Cesar, live in Miami, Florida, and serve with The Navigators Hispanic Entity. Edie's calling to Bible teaching has enabled her to be a speaker and mentor to women in ministry.
by Edie Vega
Sometimes
we have encounters that can only be from God. Such was my experience in
the Atlanta airport after the 2004 National Women's Ministry Forum. I
arrived at the airport three hours early, thinking I would use the time
prior to my departure to review and prepare for a Bible study. I sat
down to have lunch and after a few minutes noticed a young woman
looking for a place to sit. I offered her a seat at my table.She sat down and we exchanged some polite conversation - until I told her I was returning home to Miami. For the next 10 minutes she told me how ill-mannered the people in Miami were and how awful her vacation there had been. After giving me a few more details of her life, she asked, "What do you do?"
I responded, "I'm with a Christian organization. I work with young women, helping them make right choices and decisions so they can achieve their goals and accomplish God's purpose for their life. As a result, when they reach their 40s and 50s, they are not lost and disappointed, and because someone helped them, they are able to reach out to younger women and help them in the same way."
"I knew it!" she said, to my amazement. I asked her to tell me her story. As I looked into her eyes, she began to relate that her first husband had been a minister and was abusive. Sunday mornings, on their way to church, he would slap her. She would fix her makeup, sit in front of the church, and listen to his preaching. After the service she would put on a smile and greet everyone. This went on for 16 years . . . and no one knew. They eventually divorced. He's still preaching and married to the girl who once was her best friend.
"Everyone thought I was the bad one and no one believed me," she said. By this time I was feeling her pain and both of us were crying.
I have always been able to find examples in the Bible for anything a woman has gone through, with the exception of physical abuse. Some time ago, I asked God to give me insight on where I might find a story to share with women in this situation. God reminded me of the physical abuse He endured when He paid the sacrifice for our sin. I told my new friend, "Jesus knows what it means to be physically abused and to hurt. He has felt your pain. He has identified with you ... He too, was abused."
She replied, "I need you. Do you have an e-mail address?" We exchanged addresses and she said, "This was a God thing, because I missed my first flight this morning."
Astonished, I replied, "This really is a God thing! I didn't have to be here this early." As we hugged and said good-bye I assured her that I would pray for her. The woman who looked back and smiled was different from the one who sat down earlier.
The encounter with this young woman has impacted me deeply. Her words, "I need you," have affirmed the reality that women need other women to shepherd and encourage their hearts and souls. We need to be able to speak truth into one another's lives, feel one another's pain, and remind each other that Jesus cares for us individually. Women today need to know that He understands and offers healing and hope. Are we aware of the need around us? Are we willing to start by hearing their stories?
Edie Vega and her husband, Cesar, live in Miami, Florida, and serve with The Navigators Hispanic Entity. Edie's calling to Bible teaching has enabled her to be a speaker and mentor to women in ministry.