A chance to sing!

OK, so, the weirdest but coolest thing happened to me yesterday and it all started in a bathroom stall at Panera, West Lake in Peoria. Yes, a bathroom stall. I was sitting down and, well, you know...and the lady in the stall next to me starts singing! It was pretty singing and it was even a song about Jesus, but I was a little put off at first. I remember thinking, "Kind of a strange place to burst into a praise song, but hey, I guess I'll just enjoy it." Then, a woman standing at the sink joined in with the first woman and started singing harmony. At that point I'm thinking, "OK, I'll just finish up and get out so they can continue their little worship session uninterrupted." But then the really strange thing happened. I felt a strong urging in my brain and a tugging in my heart. It wasn't an audible voice, but it was clear. It said, "Start singing with them!" I almost laughed out loud. What?! Hello, I'm sitting on a toilet! And, besides I don't know that they even want to make their duet into a trio! But then it came again. Very clearly. "Start singing with them!" I was about to ignore the "voice" when another thought took hold of me. How often do I get a chance to just start singing with total strangers who also apparently are in love with an incredible Savior? If you're going to have something in common with someone you don't even know, that's a great thing to have in common, right? Why not sing praises to Jesus with these women with the beautiful voices? So, I stepped out of the stall and toward the sink where they had gathered and were still singing. One of them apparently worked at Panera and was putting on an apron and seemed to be preparing for her work shift. They stopped singing briefly when they saw me coming and made room at the sink so I could wash my hands. I almost backed down at that point thinking, "Well, they've stopped, oh well!" But, instead I heard myself say out loud, "I LOVE your singing. You have really got me going for my morning!" That was all the encouragement they needed and they started singing again. And, yes, I joined in. Yes, I did! There we were, three believers joined for 30 seconds to a minute in that intimate bond of worship. As I sang with them their smiles grew to unbelievable sizes and their singing grew louder and more beautiful. It was as if they were saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's keep going!" Finally I asked them, "Did you make up this song?" They said no; it was a song they sing in their praise band at church. Of course that prompted my next question, "Where do you go to church?" They beamed and said, "Gospel Experience!" Now, that sounds like a fantastic place, doesn't it? As I wished them a wonderful day and walked back to my table, I felt as if I were floating. My day was truly lifted by that impromptu praise session with these women whose names I don't even know. And, as I sat down to dive into my Bible Study (my reason for being at Panera yesterday morning), I continued to fly high as what I read on the pages in front of me totally related to what had just happened. My friends and I are going through a devotional on John, the disciple who was basically Jesus' BFF during his time on earth as a human. But, today, the focus was on Peter and his reaction to seeing Jesus when he appeared to them on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after He had risen from the dead. After the whole ordeal of them going fishing, not catching anything, then this stranger showing up and telling them to fish on the other side of the boat and they had so many fish they could barely haul it in, John realizes and tells his friends, "That's Jesus!" Well, that's all Peter needed to hear. He jumps into the sea and swims, walks, and runs as fast as He can to get to His Lord! Beth Moore comments in the devotional that this is the reaction she always wants to have to Jesus. She doesn't care if she looks like a fool, she always wants to run to Him! Isn't that perfect? At first I thought singing in the ladies' room at Panera was a little foolish, but I believe God's spirit in me recognized Jesus in that place and wanted me to dive in and do whatever it took to be with Him. Do I always follow these nudges in moments like these? Sadly, no. But, I'm so glad I did yesterday and I hope I will in the future, no matter where I am!