Divine Appointment

Have you ever had a divine appointment?  Yes, an appointment that changed your thinking or action for the better is a divine appointment. I have had a divine appointment. One of those times happened decades ago. I think about it even now.

You see, one of the most delightful people that I had the pleasure of knowing for a short while was Anne White (Dr. Rebecca Ann Threadgill White). Anne died at the young age of 63 years, in 2007.  I met her at a leadership workshop for Miami-Dade Public Schools Educators.  God made our appointment an anointed one.  Of all places, it was in the ladies’ bathroom. 

It happened that Anne and I were the only two in the bathroom at that time!  A conversation ensued. I was from North Carolina, and she had already been introduced from Cowpens, South Carolina.  She was so inspiring.  We laughed about ourselves.  I had never met anyone like Anne who loved laughing so much. As she talked about her husband, family, and school (in the workshop), I drew visuals in my mind.   I was familiar with dusty roads, red brick schools, and community educators from my own childhood memories.  During the day, they taught school; in the evenings, they helped out on family farms.

Yes, Anne’s laughter was contagious.  She had such a sense of humor.  As she said, being from a town called Cowpens, she had to have a sense of humor.  I make mention of Anne in my first published book, “Servant Leadership NOW – “Stepping Up Your Leadership Call.” She had that much of a personal impact.

Of Anne, I can go further and say that she had a sense of self-assurance.  She knew who she was and loved that as much as she seemed to love family.  She was one of the first people to encourage me to continue to move forward in an urban, for our children from the rural areas needed us to be well-rounded for a world that can be very unkind to them.  Being from rural areas, we both had experienced from counterparts what we called “knick-picking” because of our differences (the way we talk and sometimes just because we were Southerners).  She, on the other hand, used the situations it to make a positive impact.  Her book “Twelve Commandments for People Who Work With People,” is an example of how she did that.

I still have a couple of copies of Anne’s book in my collection. It is not the book that causes me to pause now, but it is the memory of this person from Cowpens, South Carolina that for that moment in time, allowed me to believe that I can make a difference and be ok with being a different kind of educator.  Be comfortable in my own skin as an urban educator in leadership who was needed in those times. Use my talents and my stage to fight for change – for all of us have special needs! Not everyone will see or appreciate your differences. However, if you are not at the table, your changes of making a difference is dimmed! Shine your light for positive impact – a divine appointment.

Again, have you ever had a divine appointment?  Have you encountered an appointment that changed your thinking or action for the better? If so, then you have had a divine appointment.

I did not know at that time Anne and I met that I would author a book and she would be part of that inspiration. #servantleadership #AnneWhite