A Divine Wink?

I had an interesting experience the other day that still leaves me tickled and touched.

The photo above was taken in the men’s restroom at a gas station off of the Wheeler Ridge exit of Hwy 99. I was returning from a trip to visit my dad in the hospital shortly after he had a fractured hip repaired with a number of other things on my plate.  Driving back I was reflecting on my dad’s pain at nearly 96 and what might be the best options moving forward. I stopped at that exit to get some gas and make a visit to the restroom.

There in front of me at chest height was the plumbing fixture you see above. The letters seemed to jump off the metal, “Arek.”  I’ve never seen that name anywhere except in a book written by a long-time friend of mine. I’ve been coaching her on the manuscript and the publishing process because I think she has a gift and her book is a great read. Some people say it’s Bourne Identity meets Hunger Games. It’s the story of a young woman discovering that who she thinks she is and who she really is are vastly different realities and it takes her on a  roller-coaster ride of conflict as she fights for her life.

The lead male character is named Arek. He’s a mysterious presence, to say the least, and in the early part of the book seems to live in the shadows. Here I am in the middle of nowhere, stopping for a quick break and right in front of me, at THAT urinal is the unique name of THAT character. I’ve only known Arek in the pages of a book, seeing his name out here in the wild was a weird moment. It made me smile and almost laugh out loud, which is something I don’t recommend in a public restroom.

Wow!  Just wow!  For the next few miles, it was all I could think about. How could that have happened? I suspected it was God’s way of letting me know that he was pleased by the help I was giving this childhood friend of my daughter’s and that this might all be part of a bigger plan than I was aware. I love moments like that when God plays on the fringes of my journey. He’s done it in song lyrics playing in the background at a store, or in a random comment overheard from a passerby, or even in a line in a novel or article. Each seems like divine confirmation that I’m on the right track, like the occasional tree mark on a mountain trail or a cairn beside it. And I suspect he was signaling that not only for this young woman I’ve been helping but also for my father’s situation as well. I sensed his pleasure and my heart was warmed by a divine wink, “I love you, Kid.  Keep going down this road.”

I know Jesus said it was an evil and adulterous generation that seeks after a sign. I never seek signs anymore because it proved a fruitless pastime. But that doesn’t mean he won’t wink at us from time to time to let us know we’re right where he wants us to be.  I’m sure I’ve missed a million of these for every one I have noticed. When I see them though I pause to take note and enjoy how God can be so playful in such subtle ways. I don’t chalk them up to mere coincidence, not when they are that dramatic.

The book with Arek and Willow in it will be released on June 15. It’s called Out of the Shadows and is the first of a three-part trilogy that I think many of you will enjoy, especially if you like mysteries and intense action. The author is Tessa Van Wade. She’ll be on a podcast soon so you can meet her. You’ll love the passion that fills her heart and how this story can help you walk out of the shadows of lies and illusions and embrace the true identity Father sees in you.  I’ll be sharing more about it up the road, but I do hope you get to meet Tessa, at least virtually and enjoy this amazing story that’s spilling out of her heart. You can see a trailer for the book here and pre-order it from Amazon here.

 

6 thoughts on “A Divine Wink?”

  1. Thank you for sharing your Arek experience.
    I will look out for Tessa’s book.
    God bless.
    Danie du Plessis

  2. Wayne!!!!! Thank you so very much for sharing your sweet and “get your attention” God encounter!! I love Papa and how intimately He cares for us!! I believe He loves nothing more that to get our attention in ways just like you described here!! I look often for His part in our relationship because I KNOW the relationship He and I have is not one-sided!! Thank you so so much for taking the time to share this deeply intimate part of you all’s relationship!!

  3. Wayne I love that God winked at you. I call it His kisses. For a long time now I keep seeing the numbers 333 or 555 or 1111, etc. You get the idea. Without a digital watch that wouldn’t work, but I just feel that every time I see a sequence like that it is like a kiss from God saying ‘hey I just want to say hi and remind you that I love you so much’. I don’t chase these sightings but when I see them so consistently I do believe they are significant. One morning I woke to see the numbers 333, that afternoon I just happened to look at the clock at 333. Many would say it is a coincidence, I just accept the kiss from my God.

  4. Thanks a lot Wayne for those words and the “Divine wink”…we have so many winks if we keep ours eyes…and ears,and hearts “wide open”…yesterday,with a Christian group we were wandering about “how we know we’re doing “God’s will”..just do what your “conscience” tells you to do and ,sometimes, God’s Wink will comfort you’re on the right way..+++payer,Bible…

  5. Pretty amazing Wayne!
    The title of this ‘Divine Wink’ as you called it, was pretty cool, it grabbed my attention quickly.
    Just this week a youngman in my home town, who I been praying for, has been in a struggle with drugs he was believing he would have to clean up his life before ever coming to God…I assured him it wasn’t true, just ask He is love and longs for you.
    So his words this week were open honest plea to God ‘hey You know we could really use some help down here” as he laid in the grass gazing at the sky, ” he said he saw like a “Wink”, in the sky. He’d been 10 days clean at the time…I rejoiced with him as he shared this exciting moment. 😁❤✝️🕊👑

  6. Pingback: Out of the Shadows (#803) | The God Journey

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