I looked at the time and it was 15 minutes before my coaching assessment. I paused the beautiful sermon I was listening to and instead of praying the usual prayer I ended up reciting my favourite verse Isaiah 41:10. When I said the prayer, I felt so good and so peaceful and just OK. I settled myself for the assessment and by this time, I had 7 minutes left. At this time, I got a message on my WhatsApp. I have the setting where I can see a glimpse of the message. The message was from my volunteer who I was to coach for my assessment. The glimpse of the message said she couldn't make the session.
The sessions can't be cancelled because these are assessments and if they are to be cancelled, they can't be cancelled on that day let alone minutes before. I thought this can't be happening and this can't be happening again! In my previous two assessments something has always gone wrong and last night I thought everything is in place nothing can go wrong. I messaged my volunteer yesterday sending her the link for the zoom and she said she was ready. My laptop this time had a new charger so there would be no issue like last time, where the charger refused to work an hour before my assessment. I didn't have to set up four gadgets to enable me to attend the zoom, enable the volunteer to see me while I share the document I needed to share, on another gadget. This time there wouldn't be such issues.
During my first assessment my volunteer had issues with the sound on her device. This then led us to troubleshoot for a few minutes which was now cutting into the time for the 20 minute session. Thankfully I have a supervisor who is very understanding and knows these things can happen. How I handle it is actually part of the assessment, in that it is preparing me for real life as a health coach.
When I opened the message and read the cancellation, I went into “Go Fix It” mode, something I am used to and is a strength of mine. I had less than 5 minutes to find someone available at 12pm, on a weekday when most are working and busy with their the day. The session was previously in the evening but was cancelled and I had the option of having it at 12pm or two weeks later. The latter was not an option because it would have a domino effect and delay my finish date. With the very little control I am seeing I have; I still desire to finish this course SOON.
The search for a volunteer for this assessment was a nightmare. I used the template from my course to look for people to no avail. The trick is it had to be someone not known to me which was a shame because later on many I approached directly were willing to help me. After a week of trying, I was getting very frustrated and annoyed. This was the same experience I had with the previous assessment, and I couldn’t believe this was happening again! This time was worse because no one was responding despite posting regularly on my numerous social media accounts.
From my class sessions it was apparent that this was a common issue for most of us. I decided to post a message on the school notice board asking for advice and I gave a suggestion to tackle this issue long term. I was encouraged to continue the search having acknowledged that it was a challenging process. I didn’t like that response and sent an email to the student support desk, being vulnerable and expressing how frustrating I found the process. I was given examples of some of the groups, people had approached and given more encouragement to keep trying. The groups I was given were already groups I had approached. I needed a solution not encouragement, so that response pissed me off. I realized I hadn’t posted on my LinkedIn and TikTok, so I posted there too. Same response.
I decided to send direct messages to people and ended up sending to 99 contacts on my phone explaining I was “struggling” to find a volunteer. This is when many were volunteering themselves. Others responded by asking for clarity. Others didn’t respond. This latter group was touching on a place I discovered years ago. There is nothing I hate, yes hate, like approaching someone (messaging) and they don’t respond. There was a friend of mine I sent the message to, and I had a feeling she would come through with someone and I later told her this. I didn’t tell her this when approaching her as I didn’t want her to feel any pressure. Esther has come through for me before so that’s why I had a feeling she would and sure enough she did. God is Good, God is Great, God is the Best.
I spoke to the volunteer, gave her a brief and the day before sent her the link to join the zoom. She said she was ready and was also enthusiastic about it. As for me I was excited because at last I got somewhere. Surely nothing could go wrong. On this earth and before eternal life, sometimes things can go wrong, and it went horribly wrong. When I looked at the full message from my volunteer, it said she had just lost her mother-in-law.
At that precise moment when I had momentarily frozen, processing and trying to think of a solution because my assessment was now in less than 5 minutes time, I get another WhatsApp message, from someone asking when we can do a session. I had sent them a coaching tool last week so they had done it and were looking to go on to the next step. I sent them a voice note explaining what had happened and asked if they were able to help me in the next 3 minutes. I had also sort of given up and added if they couldn’t it was also ok. They said YES!
I logged on to my zoom assessment and explained to my supervisor just when I thought nothing could go wrong, my volunteer had cancelled but I’ve just this minute found someone else. She said calmly “These things happen”. I love my supervisor. She is so calm and just takes everything in stride and is willing to work with the adjustments I create following these mishaps. The session went well as they always have. My volunteer enjoyed the session. My supervisor told me she looks forward to seeing me on these sessions and well done on another great session. Look at God! I knew I had to write and share this immediately, but I didn’t know what title to give it.
I sent a voice note to my volunteer who came through thanking her for saving me at the last minute LITERALLY! She said something I had also thought about. She said God knew what was going to happen because why did she send her message at the very time I was about to look for a replacement. In her precise words “it must have been God. You know God is fighting your corner regardless. He is showing you, you’re going to do this and you’re going to Ace it”. No lie was told because that is the very thing that happened and this is why I will forever say God is Good, God is Great, God is the Best (Somebody put that on my tombstone when I go to sleep).
Before I could get in my feelings, get upset, wallow in self-pity, give up, he scooped me up by sending Brenda to send that text at that precise time because he knew where I could have gone but he had abundant and exceedingly Good, amazing and Ace plans for me on this day, knowing my journey before. What a way to close the month because it has not been a smiley one but God saw to it personally, that it will end with smiles, joy (I’ve been praying for) and excitement because he is Fabulous like that. I couldn’t even pray anything other than repeating “ooowi Thank you Jesus, Heh! Ooowi! Thank you, Jesus,” several times. I’ve paused saying it as I write this but when I am finished I shall resume where I left off.
Truly, Truly God is Good God is Great God is the Best because he comes through for you JUST when you need it and Just On time. This is interesting for me especially, because I have told God many times, this timing of his… I have an issue with it. Of course, I say this when things haven’t happened in the time I want them to happen i.e. MY time. Shame on me! Now that God has come through for me in HIS time, am I going to have an issue, complain, lament, have a tantrum? Certainly not. I receive it, embrace it and will be celebrating TONIGHT!
I pray I will remember this as vividly as I do now and trust that when they say God’s timing is the best, it actually is No Lie! I hope the devil reads this if he still hasn’t absorbed what has happened, and understands because he doesn’t seem to understand something, he seems to be retarded (must be that Fall). The hand of God is forever on his children and however frustrating and annoying our journey may be, however bleak it may look, Victory is always our portion In Jesus name.
I pray the miraculous comfort of this Supremely Caring God who defeats death will be with my volunteer and her family at this time.
God is Good, God is Great, God is the Best.
Related verses:
Isaiah 49:15: “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!”
Isaiah 41:10, Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Psalm 145:18,
Next post: 5/3/2023
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Indeed He never forgets us.