Those Holy Spirit Moments

This morning, for the first time in two months, I met my friend Laura at the labyrinth at Crossroads United Church of Christ.  It’s something that we usually do every Tuesday, faithfully, but because of the coronavirus, I have opted out recently.

But this morning, Laura and I were both there along with our friends Nancy and Corinne.  We stood more than six feet apart and as we walked the labyrinth together, three of us wore masks, and all of us gladly stepped out of the way when necessary to give each other space.

Social distancing is definitely a sacrifice.  It means giving up standing next to someone, giving someone a hug, or patting their arm.  It means getting out of the way.  It means, as Patrick Swayze once told Jennifer Grey, you do not go into someone’s dance space.

It means wearing a mask inside stores and continuing to wear a mask outside if you can’t keep six feet from someone.  It means glasses fogging up and struggles to breathe through the heavy cotton.  I’m beginning to think the perfect mask is the one I can’t breathe through.  Then I know that virus isn’t getting in.

Today, I was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a mask, as I walked the labyrinth, though I lowered the mask later as we chatted, many feet apart from each other.  As Nancy left, she told me how good it was to see me.  And I told her it was good to see her too if only her eyes.  And then I took off my sunglasses so she could see mine.

Social distancing is difficult.

It’s sacrifice.

It’s also love.  It’s Jesus-love.  It’s unconditional and it’s sacrificial.

After Nancy and Corinne left, Laura and I remained to talk for a while.  We were probably about ten feet from each other, standing in the shade on the sidewalk.

I was right in the middle of saying something when this hawk—Laura’s hawk, I call him because he has made the church his home and we’ve known him since he was a kid—but today, Laura’s hawk flew right between us.

I have never had a hawk fly so close to me, right at eye level.  That was how Laura and I knew we were keeping proper distance from each other, because as Laura pointed out that hawk’s wingspan was easily six feet.

It flew, like a sneak preview of Pentecost, a Holy Spirit moment and landed in the palm tree near the church.

Laura and I stood stunned.

I had goosebumps or “spirit bumps” you’ve heard me call them.

Laura took out her phone.  I took out mine and we started taking pictures of the hawk.  It was just such a precious and spirit-filled moment that I know all of us are lacking these days.

Please remember that your spiritual health and your emotional health are both so important, that these two things directly affect your physical health.  Take time to watch for the Holy Spirit.  Take time to watch for God’s presence. 

He is there.