There Are No Coincidences

Have you ever had a situation happen that had to be more than just coincidence? That there had to be more than just being at the right time and place or that it was just blind luck?  My sister says those are "God-incidences", not coincidences. You can call it Divine intervention, cosmic fate, whatever.  I have had more than my fair share of these God-incidences.  Some were very subtle, but some so strikingly obvious that it amazed me.  Today was one of those days.

In case you don't know, I have an Ebay addiction.  I like to bid on certain items (I seldom win) and I like to place items on Ebay.  There is nothing like the rush I get when one of my auctions is in the last 2 minutes and I am watching to see how much it will finally sell for.  Because of my weight loss, I recently placed some of my gently worn outfits up for bids and made a bit of pocket change for myself.  Got to love it!  At this point, some of you are asking, "What does Ebay have to do with coincidences?" Bear with me and it will be revealed.
If you are familiar with Ebay, you know that once the items are shipped and arrive at their new owners' home, the buyer will give you either positive or negative feedback.  I always try to follow-up and check via email that the items are safely in the hands of the buyer.  Which leads me to what happened this week.
After I sent one of my buyers my "thank you for your business" email, she sent me an email asking about an additional item that had not been included in her items.  I answered her questions, revealing that I had lost 95 pounds and that was why I was selling the clothes.  What happens next is today's God-incidence.  In a heartfelt cry of admission in a reply email, my customer bared her soul to me.  She is overweight, not in the best of  health, considering a gastric by-pass but is scared of the death rate.  She needs knee replacement, doesn't drive anymore, is stared and laughed at in public, so she rarely goes out.  She is just a couple of years older than I, 2 inches shorter, which only exacerbates her weight issues and  she can't get a handle on the weight or the depression that she feels so deeply.  Her story is MY STORY.  It was as if God had put us on a collision course to make contact.  All over a 3 piece outfit Ebay listing, that she had misread, bid on and won, and then realized she wanted the 4th piece that I had purposely left off the auction description.  She could have bid on thousands of Quacker Factory items on Ebay.  I could have chosen a different time to auction my clothes, or given them away.  But she didn't and I didn't.

As I told my weight loss story to a complete stranger via email, I knew that this journey I have been on for the past years has a purpose, and that includes the part of the journey up to the weight loss. Only those that have been at the bottom can know the pure joy at the summit.  The main reason I did this was for my own health and well-being.  But I can't tell you how many people at work, and friends, acquaintances,  and yes, even total strangers, have come to me and told me that my story has motivated them to lose weight, exercise, eat healthy, make a lifestyle change, do something for themselves, make a commitment to a goal. And that motivates me even more.

Today I was going to write something on a completely different subject.  But an Ebay customer changed all that. Thanks to her I know I am where I am on this journey for a reason.  Are you on your own journey?  Are you where you are for a reason?  Share with us your God-incidences. Remember, there are NO coincidences.