Is it a coincidence? Or is it God?

Before I write my post, I want to say THANKS to my new friend, Rob Cohen, who I have had the pleasure of connecting with, thanks to the internet.  Rob’s recent post about his High Holiday, Haftorah-reading return to the bimah, included a beautiful word of thanks to me for helping him, but above all, gave me the validation to write about something I feel very strongly about – God.

Rob – I love the work you are doing, and I love to help people that are truly pursuing their passion, and trying to make the world a better place.  It was so sweet of you to write about me, and to put a link to my website on your blog, and I know we are going to be long time friends, even though lots of time and miles will prevent us from meeting, at least any time soon.

So anyway, in Rob’s post, he simply volunteered to read the Haftorah for HH services.  That experience helped connect him to me, and then, he felt really great about what he did, and then…suddenly…”things” started happening.  He started to pay more attention to his observance, and things took on new meaning in his life.  Then, a Rabbi just “happened” to walk by his house, and offered to shake the lulov and etrog on Sukkot.  That had never happened before.  Amazing. Or – was it?

Long ago, I had a friend that was an evangelist.  She told me God spoke to her.  I doubted that.  Seriously.  What?  Out of the blue, this thunderous voice just burst out of the sky and called your name?  How did she know God was actually talking to her?  What if she was in a crowded room?  Maybe God’s message was for someone else?  Then, I began my own spiritual path of learning about what I thought God really was, and strangely enough, “things” started happening to me, too.  Then, I began meditating, even though I thought there was no way I would “get” anything to happen for me.  But I was wrong.

I started putting together the “things”, and realized that the more I walked in a righteous path, and honored God, the more “things” showed up in my life.  The quieter I was, the more “things” would enter my brain, and not these loud thunderous voices, but simple messages, almost disguised as thoughts, but ones that held so much validation and truth, that I just knew them to be the voice of God.

I was speaking to someone by phone the other day, and they were telling me of a similar coincidence, and they said “I just love those little God-winks”.  That’s true – those “things” are winks that God is making.  Just enough to tell us that he knows we are  here, and we are in his plans, and that we should just keep on doing what we are doing, because we’re actually getting it right.

So – Rob – those things are NOT coincidences.  They are messages, and subtle voices from God, telling you that you are on the right path.  Mitzvah Art is going to be a big success, as is my Cantorial practice, because we are walking a righteous path, and opening ourselves to the messages we need most.  The more we listen, the more we hear.  The more we pray, the more Rabbis show up in our front yards with Lulavs, literally, and figuratively.  I love the messages and signs that I receive, telling me I did a great job.  I know you did a great job on your Haftorah reading, AND the blessings.  And I’m really honored to be your friend, and thankful that  God put us in each other’s paths.