A Snapshot of Understanding

The tension had been building. Oh, it was subtle to an untrained eye but we both knew it was there. Petty quibbles about policy, schedules, or structure. They had become tedious and both of us had enough. We weren’t friends, just acquaintances working together. Truthfully I don’t think we desired to be friends with one another, we were just too different. But we had to iron some things out, the chain of command needed to be understood and it needed to happen soon. A neutral place where neither one of us could lose control and where we both could feel some measure of comfort. And the perfect place came to me in an instant – Starbucks.

I went, ready for battle. I am sure my opponent was preparing for battle as well. This wasn’t a friendly little chat over coffee. We both had something to prove. Halfway to Starbucks, as I am praying, a voice interrupts mine.
“Beth?”
“Yes, God?”
“Why don’t you go in love instead of prepared for war? Help her to see some things. Show her, don’t tell her.”
“But God…”
“No buts. Be the peacemaker, this doesn’t have to be a war.” (Author Ken Sandee says, "The more you engage another's heart and the less you declare his or her wrongs, the more likely he or she is to listen to you." -The Peacemaker, page 175)
“Well okay, if you think that’s what I should do.” (Is it me or is the sarcasm and disbelief in my voice thicker than a pot of badly brewed coffee?)
Oddly, God’s idea gave me a lot more peace than my own battle plan had been giving me. So I got to Starbucks with a totally different plan. I secured a table for two, set my notebook down, and got my Chai Latte. She arrived, ordered her coffee, and looked at me.

I took a deep breath and asked if before we started with her lengthy list could I please begin by explaining a few things? She agreed and I began. This is where I faded out of the picture all together and God intervened. I don’t really know what all came out of my mouth but I do know it was all directed by God. After I finished she just sat there and said, “Well, that helped.” Okay. Now we are getting somewhere. So I asked her to go down her list and we would discuss each question or concern in detail until understanding was reached. Do you think we had to cover her whole list? Of course not!

We ended the night in laughter, sharing each other’s hearts concerning this ministry we were both involved in together and sharing ideas for how to improve things. I walked out of Starbucks that night with a new friend and a new ally in the ministry. God’s battle plan was so successful that it sticks with me all these years later. My new friend and I went on to minister together for a couple of years in the same capacity and then God stretched us and had us minister together in a new capacity for a season. We both point back to that night in Starbucks as the turning point, when we both allowed God to intervene and do what needed to be done. God knew I needed to learn to trust his battle plan and not my own and I needed to learn that conflict could be a healthy thing when he is in the midst of it.
And he did it all over a cup of coffee.