Rear-View Mirror Christianity

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

What. A. Weekend.

Well, I’m currently crammed in a middle seat on an airplane. I’ve got a neck-pillow, mouth-breather on my left and a tuna sandwich-eater on my right. And despite my current state of being sensorily accosted, I’m in a sheer state of bliss.

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I just had one of the best weekends ever.

I took a “mental health weekend” back in New York City. I was supposed to be there for a shoot, but after it got postponed, (and I had already bought my plane ticket), I decided to go anyways. See my friends. See my city. And just take a couple days to come up for air.

Not that I don’t love being home and helping my mom recover from her stroke…truly…But I abruptly left my life in NYC when I came home without even saying goodbye 2 1/2 months ago. It was good to just go back and reconnect.

Lemme tell ya, there’s nothing like a 3 1/2 hour brunch with your two best friends that really fills your spirit and makes you feel affirmed and so loved.

But the meals together were great. The parties were wonderful. Even just walking the city and taking in the sights and smells — all so healing for my soul.


But there was another unexpected moment that really moved my heart.

It was with…my Uber driver.

It was Sunday morning, and I was meeting my two friends uptown for brunch after church. It was about a 25/30 minute cab ride, and being the chatty midwestern gal I am, I struck up a conversation. Which, if you know anything about NYC-ettique is frankly, unheard of.

But he had a beautiful rosary hanging from the rear-view mirror. And so, I asked him about it. Because…why the heck not?

“So, you Catholic?”

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I don’t know if he was more startled that someone was actually engaging him in conversation instead being buried in their phone, or the fact that I had the balls to ask him about religion, but this guy lit up.

He told me about how he’s newly married. Grew up in the Dominican Republic milking cows on his grandfather’s farm at 6am every morning since the age of 7. Moved to the US at 12, and goes to church every Sunday. And he’s driving Uber as a second job because he’s trying to buy a house for he and his wife.

And the convo then took a very interesting turn after I told him about how I moved home for the last 3 months to help my mom recover from her stroke.

Without skipping a beat, he goes, “Oh God’s gonna reward that. If you obey him, God is gonna bless you on the other side.” 

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Well, okay then. I know I had a few drinks the night before, but there was no doubt in my mind that I was supposed to be in that exact Uber, talking to this gem of a human being.

He continued to urge me to take every single opportunity that comes my way. That God is always working, and that every single door has the possibility of leading to blessings. But that if I don’t open the door, I’m going to miss out.
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Writing that out, it sounds so simple and almost…elementary trite. But my goodness, the way this guy spoke, it was as though I was about to take the field at the Super Bowl or something. I left that cab thinking I could conquer the world.

I spent a lot of time this weekend reflecting. I had turned my cable and Internet off back in January when I decided to stay in Ohio for a while. So I learned really quickly how much I rely on those fabulous fiber-optics on the reg. So there were a lot of moments spent just, thinking. Which, I’m seeing now, was another disguised blessing given to my by our gracious Father.

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But this cabbie, he was right on. And spoke what I needed to hear. God is not going to abandon me. He’s not going to leave me high and dry. I’m doing what I believe He is calling me to do right now. And so I need to allow Him to bless me…and the only way to do that is to seize every opportunity that comes my way, in whatever form it comes.

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I’ve gotten a lot of acting opportunities since being home. I’ve been concocting some exciting plans with my mom for a bible-study book. Not to mention the wonderful bonding opportunities I’ve had with my family.

I need to realize that these are all orchestrating together. And I’ve got to capitalize on each and every one.

My brother told me the other day over dinner, that life is what happens when you’re making other plans.

Who knows, maybe that’s more true than I’d like to believe. Maybe I need to see what God’s putting in front of me right now. Right this very minute.

Take that cabbie’s advice and trust that God’s got me where He wants me, and is already pouring out His blessings. I said “yes” to Him, and He’s not going to leave me high and dry. But I’ve gotta meet Him halfway and seize every opportunity.

So that’s my Uber lesson of the day.

Once again, proving that you just never know when God is going to show up. Even in an Uber on the Upper East Side when you’re hungover.

Go figure.

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beautybeyondbones

BBB: Because we're all recovering from something. // For speaking/business inquiries: beautybeyondbones@yahoo.com

244 thoughts on “Rear-View Mirror Christianity”

  1. God works in the funniest ways sometimes 😂 I’m glad you had that experience, it sounds like you really needed it. It’s super important to take care of your mental health 😊

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thanks girlie! Yeah, me too! I was so glad that was the Uber I got in! haha And so true – taking care of our mental health is just as important as physical health. Balance is key! Hope you’re having a great start to the week! big hugs to you xox

      Like

  2. until recently I spent the past 8 years as Sunday school mistress. I started up under duress … and as a one time thing and ended up simply loving it for years.

    every Sunday after the good mornings and hugs and giggles … my first question… did you see God this week.

    in the beginning and when new ones arrived they thought me bonkers … then I would tell them how I saw God.

    it’s using your eyes to nudge your brain to open your heart … we see only your telephones now … we have stopped walking down streets and have stopped looking.

    I would say … yes I saw God. I saw a a weed growing in a crack on a busy pavement – i saw a grandfather hold his grandson’S hand and I watched him smile at the tiny child. I saw a man in a shop rush out and run after a women with things she had left behind.

    God is in a smile, a kind deed, a simple living weed.

    God was in your taxi …. I love your words x thank you.

    p.s. I am no longer a Sunday school teacher as we have a new priest – it is hard for me to see God in this man.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Wow, what a beautiful comment. thank you so much for sharing this. your students were lucky to have you as a teacher! That is just so true – God is in all of those things, and we need to look up and realize that! I also see God in the people I am with – in those relationships and the conversations…i felt that with my friends this weekend 🙂 Thanks again for stopping by and blessing me with this wonderful food for thought. hugs xo

      Liked by 2 people

  4. We sometimes feel frustrated waiting for God to call out to us and respond to prayer when in fact it can smack us right in the face by hearing the right thing at the right time. Maybe that’s our challenge in discipleship to open up and share our faith – we may touch or inspire someone just like Mr Uber! Have a great week God Bless Rob

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Rob, thank you for this thoughtful response. you’re right – patience and waiting on God can feel arduous, but it is in the waiting that we are transformed. Thanks for stopping by! hugs xox

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  6. I Hope and Pray too our ONE True GOD the Father who art in Heaven Above and His Son Jesus ( Yeshua ) Christ Helps You and Your Mother!! We Are NEVER alone when He Jesus ( Yeshua ) is with us!!

    May our ONE True GOD the FATHER who art in Heaven Above Bless All my Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus ( Yeshua ) and Your Families and Friends!!

    Love Always and Shalom ( Peace ) Everyone, YSIC \o/

    Kristi Ann

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you Elizabeth 🙂 I really appreciate that! haha me too! I actually met a really nice fella over the weekend, so who knows! haha thanks 🙂 It always is an adventure with Him! Hugs to you xox

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  8. How great that you had such a weekend! The shoot is postponed, so you have more time with your friends. I doubt you would have met your Uber driver if the shoot happened. And to start it off, you could’ve re-scheduled your ticket (even though there’d be a charge!).

    Despite your behavior not being up to NYC standards, the fact that he lit up so brightly tells us all just how much people really want to connect. Like at your pedicure, right?

    “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:12

    Not that we do good works expecting quid pro quo from God, but as our loving response to Him and to share His love with others.

    Still…nothing wrong with a little gravy!

    So you have your auto-biography to write, a bible study book to do with your mom, and a growing acting career…in Ohio of all places!

    Go figure!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thanks for sharing your wonderful insight, Jeff. You’re right! People DO want to connect! God has shown me that not once but TWICE this week! That really speaks volumes. Wow, nothing like getting a truth bomb from God’s word, eh? Thanks for this awesome encouragement 🙂 hope you’re having a great day! I’m home safe and sound now — got out just in time before the snow!! 🙂 hahah go figure 🙂 hehe I am so grateful for you, Jeff 🙂 big hugs to you and Julie! xoxo

      Liked by 2 people

  11. I love your blogs so much.. really I do but I have a question. Being so beautiful and using your image in most posts seems like a huge advantage to promote your blog and causes. I do not have any looks by which to add value for the consumer.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Bonsai, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. It has taken me a long to accept the body that God has given me. I spent probably close to a decade despising and abusing the body I have been given, and only recently have I embraced who I am and how God made me. And so the using my face in my posts is simply a celebration of the beauty of Christ in me 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! hugs xox

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I was hit by a car at five so I have no chance. But I try to make the most of my smile. I’ve ever though us d it in a post. God bless you confidence!

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  13. Divine appointments are such a blessing. 🙂

    I recently finished reading through the archives of your blog. Wow, you are such an amazing young woman and so inspiring! You’ve been in my prayers since I started reading your blog, and even more so in the last few months as you’ve been helping your mom. I write my own blog once a week showcasing a greeting card I’ve made, and I was wondering if you’d mind if I used your blog/story as inspiration for a card in the next week or two. I’d certainly link people back to your blog in the post. It would be an honor to introduce my readers to you and your story.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Those appointments are SUCH a blessing! Wow, I am so touched that you would have read my archives! Thank you so much. I really appreciate the kind words and support. And Yes! I would be absolutely honored if you were to use my blog. I can’t wait to read it! big hugs xox

      Liked by 2 people

  16. So awesome, you’re a great writer and this was soooo encouraging for the season I’m walking through right now. Yes, we have to let God into the nitty gritty of our lives so He can bless us.
    Beautiful post! ❤

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  17. “God is going to reward that” ❤ I agree 100% and it's encouraging for me and everybody who is carrying a cross.

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  19. This was good to read after the hellish week I’ve had with mom. Sunday, was Psalm 121 and some encouraging words on them. Thank you for reminding me once more. As I start to get sick, I wonder…..

    Liked by 1 person

      1. This week, I’m sick. Or appear to be! Tomorrow will be hard. Mom’s oncologist is about the only one who believes mom will be well be summer. Other health care professionals are not so optimistic. 30 years is a long time to fight cancers.

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  24. Oh my gosh, that last line about the Uber lesson thing was so funny, because my mom drives for Uber, and she’s had two separate encounters with people that turned out to be a God-thing just in the past week. God turns anything into a ministry, which I think sums up you whole post, doesn’t it? I related to this one a lot since I’m gong through a similar experience. I love the quote with the mountains because it fit so well. sometimes a mountain is a tough obstacle to get over, but some things can only be found up in that alpine air. Anyway, it’s an allegory thing.

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  26. Great post. Great insight. I have learned to understand over time that God has gone before me, therefore I pray He place my feet in His footprints. Or at least I try too. 🙂 I’d say you are in a prime space my friend. Cheering you on from the west coast. PS. What an awesome weekend for you. I miss the big city. Peace!

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  27. Yeah I know, I want to do things for my life but need to find out what God wants from me, and not what I want from myself, but right now is to be with my Grandma, and she decided to be in a nursing home, because of her kenneis and her poor health, that me and my sister thinks is best for her. So she can get more help and better help, that she needs.

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  28. This was a beautiful story and I’m going to think I was meant to read it 🙂. It was really speaking to me as I struggle to know what to do next. Thank you for sharing.

    Like

  31. The Lord taught us, commanded us to “be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
    Then He reminded us that “What is impossible for man(woman) is possible for God.”
    It’s all His work. We become His workmanship. Who is truly ready to surrender our lives to Him? To daily be drawn closer to Him in Spirit and in Truth. In the little things and in the big things. Today, tomorrow and forever.
    Someday we will stand before His Throne in perfection.

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  32. God is so amazing how He puts us right where He needs us. Glad you got back to NYC before the nor’easter – I grew up in PA – love NYC. Happy for you you had a refreshing, refueling weekend

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  33. “Because why the heck not?” “And, well okay then.” You are so precious! I am glad you had the opportunity to be in NYC and with friends. A blessing you took hold of. Blogging your journey is another blessing. I love that you and your mom are cooking up a Bible study! One of my passions as well.

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    1. haha thanks Terese! I’m glad you “get” my lingo! Yes! New York was so wonderful and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go. Yes! It’s definitely still in the early planning stages, but it’s a good project to work on together 🙂 big hugs to you xox

      Liked by 1 person

  34. I think God guided you to that Uber. Then, the Holy Spirit nudged you. I am sure you made the drivers day as much as he made yours. Whenever you let the Spirit lead you, you are rewarded with His joy.

    I agree with your brother, life is what happens while you are making other plans… if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. But remember, God is wherever you go. Our plans often fall apart but God uses our failed plans to the good. An example might be a young woman caring for her mother who has had a stroke. The young woman is supposed to go to New York to work; but, she really needs a break and a recharging. The work falls through but God comes through with a break and a recharging. Humm… sound familiar? God is good, all the time, God is good.

    God Bless, thanks for sharing your journey.

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    1. I think you’re right! It was a God-appointed Uber 🙂 hehe That’s such a powerful thought though – you’re right, joy is the reward. Yeah, I love that saying about God laughing when we tell Him our plans. It’s so true – and such a comforting/slightly terrifying truth to know that He has it all planned out for us already..and in a good way. All we have to do is trust. God is wherever we go—remmebering that tonight 🙂 Thanks again. And yes, sounds very familiar 🙂 hehe hugs xox

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  37. I love God-winks like that. God-appointed moments, glimpses through the veil. They sustain me. I blogged about one in my own life just recently.

    You know what struck me as I read your post? This encouragement-bomb from the Dominican Republic was awesome, but…we could ALL be that. We could all be a 10-inch syringe of encouragement straight to each other’s bloodstreams. We just don’t do it. We hold back, don’t risk saying something, don’t risk looking vulnerable. May we all become the gift that this Uber driver was to you.

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    1. Hey Brandon! Me too! Glimpses through the veil…I like that 🙂 Gosh, that’s such a powerful thought. You’re so right – we all have that opportunity every day — even if it’s just a genuine smile at the checkout person. Vulnerability is truly powerful and meaningful and has the ability to alter someones’ day for the better 🙂 Glad you stopped by! hugs xox

      Liked by 1 person

  40. A very pleasant read, so much positivity. That was a good blessings to you and through you. I am sure God has great deals for you as you deal for His glory.

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  41. Caralyn, I like how you said, “allow Him to bless me.” Because that is how it is – sometimes we need to get out of the way and let the Lord bless us. I find that people sometimes put too many conditions on God and His blessings. They trip themselves up without even recognizing that they are doing it. I’ve been guilty of that on so many occasions.

    Good for you – having a trip to NYC and being able to spend some cool time with your friends. Maybe you could work that into your schedule again. So happy for you, Caralyn. May you have many more days and weekends like this. 🙂

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    1. Hi Eric, thank you so much for this thoughtful response. You’re so right! I need to just get out of the way and let Him do His work! Thanks for that powerful reminder. I think you’re right – working that into my schedule again soon I think would be good on a lot of levels. especially when the airfare is so dang cheap! Only ~$50-75 round trip!! SO CHEAP! 🙂 Big hugs to you xox

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Dear friend,

    If we remember God in our daily life, starting not to forget him, even not for a minute – the grace and colour of God will pour on you and the more you practise this in your life the more you adopt this kind of perfume of God with you – so whereever you go whereever you will be – then you will spread this divine perfume too… The cabbie has given you some perfume…

    All good wishes
    Didi

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    1. Wow, what a beautiful thought — adopting the perfume of God. Holy cow, what a powerful image. I am such a “scent” person – I love perfume and cologne (on men 🙂 ) so that really resonates with me. Yes, that Cabbie’s “perfume” will be lingering for quite some time 🙂 thanks for sharing that 🙂 big hugs xox

      Liked by 1 person

  43. First, I think I have to apologise that I’m just reading your posts now….I’ve been missing a LOT because your words are truly gems..Thank you for sharing your experiences…I’m just new to blogging and feel inspired to blog more after reading your posts.

    ‘You just never know when God is going to show up’

    Wow!!! Just what I needed right now. Thank you and God Bless You more..:) 🙂 🙂

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    1. You’re on a reading roll! Thank you so much Lili 🙂 What a kind thing to say. I’m glad this resonated with you. And welcome to the wonderful world of blogging! I look forward to reading your stuff! Hope you have a great day! big hugs xox

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  44. Although I may not believe in God in the same sense that you do, I do believe that if you put good in then you get good out and I think that it is similar in a way. I’m glad that you had a wonderful break 🙂

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  48. It’s so cool to read again how those opportunities seem to come to you, in a cab or in an elevator – then I thought, God brings those opportunities to us all the time, we just need to dial in and see them as the opportunities they are – ps I would love for you to include one of your funny pics to depict that scene on the plane with tuna person on one side and allergy person on the other – 😳🤔✈️

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    1. haha, thanks! Yeah, I think for the first time in my life I’m actually recognizing those and not just missing those moments. Just goes to show that we see what we look for 🙂 hahah yeah, it was quite the plane ride! thanks for stopping by! hugs xox

      Liked by 1 person

  50. I love God’s orchestrated moments, that the world deems meaningless or superfluous, but which are Divine touches of God. Blessings to you and your family. Prayers for our Heavenly Father to guide and direct you in this dance of life…

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