Not fitting in.

Several times a week, I walk from my house to the other end of the town, where the Gym is (no comment!) On my way I always pass something on the road that makes me think, and that God has been 'pointing out to me' over the last few weeks - it´s a man hole cover. That´s probably not the most spiritual source of divine revelation, but then it´s probably more on my level!!

So what´s so special about the man hole cover, I hear you ask. Well, this one is situated half in the actual road and half on the pavement, which at that point is flat to the road. On the edge of the pavement, there´s the almost obligatory red line painted to indicate that parking is not permitted.

What has struck me about this man hole cover is that someone has obviously pulled it open at some stage since the red line was painted on, and then closed it again. But in closing it, they have left it in a position so that the line doesn´t connect with the line on the pavement on either side. In fact the red line across the man hole cover is more or less perpendicular (at right angles) to the line on the pavement either side of it. (I´ve been meaning to get a photo of it, but don´t usually have my camera with me, and would also look pretty stupid taking photos of the road!!!)

It fits perfectly and yet looks so out of place; it´s in exactly the right position but looks so wrong.

And I guess that´s a good way to understand where I am at the moment (and perhaps it´s an analogy of anyone involved in cross cultural mission). I have a sense that God has put me here, in exactly this position, in a perfect fit, and yet I don´t look right at all. I´m now doing something completely different to what I expected, and in human terms I may not ´look´right for the role but somehow it fits. I stand out as being the wrong way round or upside down or something even stranger than that!. There´s probably never going to be a time when I don´t stand out from the crowd and yet God has put me here, right at this time, doing things I didn´t expect to be doing, but for a purpose. I can be secure in His plans, and in His presence, no matter what I look like or how wierd or unexpected it feels.