How much does Jesus love you?? Well, there’s the classic “this much” as you see His arms spread out on the cross… “yeah, yeah, teacher, I get it – He loves the whole world and that includes me”. But, as you read the following, I want you to think about the first time you heard it – and the first time you believed it – and what was going on in your life then, what was going on in the lives of the people that told you???

Anybody into scavenger hunts or murder mysteries? Clues everywhere, and things you’d never put together until the super-sleuth explains it all, and says “Elementary!”, as though the whole tangle were mere child’s play. We’ll hear that in Heaven someday, when Jesus takes time to review our lives & connect the dots for us – for now, it’s just ours to follow Him & trust that He knows where we’re going.

Ok – the story – my plans for Saturday, 10/7/06, went kinda like this…. be at a bowling alley in clown uniform from 3-5, surprise a kid, make some balloons, cruise over to Mary Jo’s for a short visit, then go to the Columbus Colony & hang with the deaf people for a while before returning home to scrub off greasepaint & start glossing the song selections for Sunday morning into ASL for the ISS (Sign Squad).

What actually went down Saturday was a wee bit different… the birthday boy’s dad didn’t want to bring him to his mom before 4:30, so the bowling party got postponed until next weekend, but the clown’s not available then because the human has something else on the schedule (of course!)… so the new schedule is to show up at a home in Canal Winchester at 6 for the little family shindig.  It’s ok, JJ can go see Mary Jo before the party, and all is still well – except, the morning timing didn’t quite work out as intended, so I got to the apartment about 5 – not a problem, except, Mary Jo was at the hospital visiting her mom Opal – can’t possibly get to the hospital and then to the party on time… Partied first, left there about 7:30, and panicked because visiting hours would be over before I could go in, but the folks at the apartments had given me (well, the clown) a picture and signed a balloon for Opal – I couldn’t go back to the apartment without at least trying to get in the hospital… A friend checked for me, and Mary Jo was still at the hospital & would be there until 8:30. OK, no sweat – go upstairs, give some love, and on with the adjusted plan, right? Wrong!! (hang in – this is where it gets good!)

Walked in as a young guy was walking out, with LambChop (sock puppet) on his arm – after he blinked a few times, he asked me (dared me) to go visit his friend who was recovering from surgery. Another friend of theirs was about 10 paces behind me, so we had a jolly time of introductions in the elevator, then entered the room and realized I was dealing with a group of semi-goth friends (if the black didn’t clue me in, the spiked dog collar clinched it). I folded a flower, waved g’bye, and headed back to Opal’s room for the expected surprise, delivering the picture & balloon, shared some love, & headed out. Realizing I hadn’t prayed with the girl, I turned back & made an encore visit, complete with hugs, stickers, some banter from her friends, and a short silent prayer (the clown doesn’t talk). (ps: new friends – I was praying for the whole girl, not just her foot!) As I headed out of the hospital, I decided to return the next day and bring Kathryn & a few others from my crew so we could tell them out loud (and with culturally-matching attire) that Jesus loves her, that He’s the one that hooked her up with a clown while she was in the hospital, and there are people who wear black & love Jesus. (you should have seen the looks we got in the lobby, a group of decked out kids praying politely) She was released Sunday before we got there – but there’s a whole church now praying for her & her friends – and when we went Sunday, we ministered to Opal, who believed that nobody loved her, least of all the teens.

So – a clown goes into a hospital & meets a kid – so what? Well – here’s where connecting the dots comes in…where we get to see a little of the intricate planning that God puts into making sure His love and the gospel message gets passed along. The birthday visit from JJ was planned months ago, because the boy met the clown a couple of years ago at “bring your kid to work day” and fell in love with her, and his mom won the clown during a charity auction in June. The visit to Mary Jo & Opal was very important because last week Mary Jo asked me to pass to JJ that she’d hurt her thumb – she has the mind of a child because of an abusive husband, and I was trained in grace & love in my childhood by growing up with a mentally retarded friend (whose aunt is deaf & sparked my interest in sign language). The sign language led to working with teens for the last 3 years, including my precious “EMoths” (ask Robyn!), who have taught me not to flinch when I see black, chains, multi-piercings, and other decor. The clown exists because of a request made 13 years ago, and she’s back in MaryJo’s world because of visiting a missionary (based on a friendship developed 20 years ago), getting invited to a Work & Witness trip to Arizona, and being asked there to take on a responsibility at our church (where I hadn’t been attending for several years, attending elsewhere).

If the day had gone as planned, I’d have been at a bowling alley, bopped in & out of the hospital before 7, and the kids wouldn’t have known I was there. Instead, a seed of Christ’s love was planted and another group of people are being prayed for because of an abusive husband, a cut thumb, a mysterious lung-problem, a little boy, a non-cooperative father, a deaf lady, a trip to Arizona, the US Air Force, a mentally retarded boy, a picture, “bring your kid to work day”, and the Lord only knows what all else… And just when we think we’ve got it all figured out, we find that Opal really needed an unexpected visit from a group of people she didn’t think cared – and some teens learned that the old folks really do want to connect.

So, was all this for Opal? or for the girl? for the birthday boy? for those hearing/reading the story? or for all of the above? Jesus knows, and He’ll have fun telling us later, in His time. Meanwhile, know that when things don’t go as you planned them – there’s a reason hiding in there somewhere; and when you don’t think you’re loved – think again…He may be doing some really interesting stuff to make sure you get just the message you need, just when you need it most; and when you think you’re not important in the grand scheme of things – ask Him to give you a peek into connecting the dots. He loves you, He has a plan for you, and He’ll make sure you’re right on target, when you let Him be in charge.

<<ps: Opal passed away within a few months of this visit.>>