a girl named mercy

Yesterday morning before our church service I was standing near this beautiful young woman. I assumed she was an International student at JBU, only seeing her once before and being so dark skinned. She was so unique in her features. She had rich, brown skin and a head-full of tiny braids, coiled and piled up on top of her head. I just wanted to take her in visually, stare at her, she had so many outwardly striking qualities. I just knew there was something special about her. I asked her what her name was. She replied, "Mercy." I had a moment, right there, in front of her. I said, "Mercy? Wow. You are so beautiful, Mercy." I thought I might frighten her because I was so deeply moved at the mention of her name. Mercy is the theme of my life and to meet, for the very first time, a woman named Mercy, in the midst of all that God has been speaking over me was just so overwhelmingly personal. She went on to share that she was born in Uganda and raised in Kenya. And now here she stood, in my little sphere of life, in front of the coffee pot, so randomly yet divinely placed. Mercy is indeed beautiful and she has come a long way to cross paths with me.