Delighting in the Word

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of
all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

II Corinthians 1:3-4 (CSB)

Have you ever had an experience where you knew that the Lord put someone in your
path for a specific reason, that this encounter could only have been orchestrated by Him?
I’ve heard these referred to as divine appointments. I’ve had a divine appointment
related to a part of my history that I hadn’t shared much about, so I knew it had to be the
Lord.
I was born with something called Turner’s Syndrome. It’s a chromosome condition that
means I am missing an X chromosome. It’s the reason for my petite stature. It can
also come with ear issues and hearing loss. (Of course, the decades of loud concerts
haven’t helped.) It also means that I’m not able to have children. I consider it a blessing that
I was diagnosed at birth, so I’ve had my whole life to come to terms with that reality. According to
research, a majority of fetuses with Turner’s do not survive to full term. So, I’ve been told
that I’m a walking miracle.
As I said, this isn’t something that I have talked about very much. Many of my co-
workers and closest friends didn’t know about my diagnosis. So you can imagine my
surprise when a patron at the library where I work approached me one day and, out of the
blue, asked if I have Turner’s Syndrome. My shortness of stature must have caused her to
wonder, and she boldly took a chance to ask me.

Her 13-year-old granddaughter had just been diagnosed with Turner’s and she had a lot of concerns. I assured her that I am a fully-functioning independent adult, and having Turner’s hasn’t hindered me or held me back from anything in life ever. (Except maybe reaching things on the higher shelves at the
grocery store.) She was so relieved that she hugged me. It might seem disconcerting to
have a total stranger ask you about something as personal as your medical history, but I
believe God put me in her path for a reason.
This encounter made me think about how I can use not only my experience with Turner’s
but also other trials that the Lord has brought me through to help and encourage others. In
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians quoted above, he states that our Lord is the God of
all comfort. He comforts us in our affliction so that we will be able to comfort others who are
also going through trials. I pray for the wisdom to recognize when sharing my story might be
a blessing and a help to others, and I pray for the courage to keep showing up for divine
appointments.