Recently, I stepped into a store as an angry customer stormed out.  The store employees watched him as he walked to his car, and I overheard the words “police” and “manager”.  I assumed a conflict had occurred between the customer and an employee, and since the employees were speaking to one another in a hushed voice, I didn’t ask any questions. 

However, assumptions can be wrong.  It is possible the customer had a confrontation with another customer in the store or parking lot.  Maybe the individual I thought was a customer was actually an employee who had diffused a potential crisis before I arrived.  My initial assumption was likely correct.  But since I wasn’t there when the event occurred, my guess was still speculation. 

Our understanding is always limited when we arrive late.  Whether we have missed an argument, an accident, or even an historical event such as a factory closure or natural disaster, we base our conclusions on the information and observations at hand.  We are possibly unaware of critical facts that would significantly change our perspective.  

If we fail to recognize this limitation, we might misinterpret what has occurred and misspeak or act impulsively.  This is one reason I admire law enforcement officers who must evaluate a conflict or emergency in a matter of seconds, and react appropriately. 

While the choices most of us make daily may not be a matter of life or death, they can have a profound impact on others’ lives.  If we are rash in our judgements, we might find ourselves criticizing the innocent, discouraging the wounded or disrupting something important others are trying to accomplish. 

In full disclosure, I have experienced the embarrassment of speaking and acting without taking time to assess the situation before me.  As a young minister in a small country church, I once asked a church leader standing by a communion table to lead the congregation in prayer.  He turned to look at me and shook his head “No”.  I quickly asked another leader standing on the opposite side of the table to say the prayer.  He also shook his head “No”. I prayed and the communion service resumed.  Later, I discovered neither leader had ever prayed in public.  While it was natural for me to assume they had, since they were leaders, I was unaware both men were relatively new believers who had agreed to serve as Deacons as long as they didn’t have to pray in public.  They loved the Lord, but praying in front of a group scared them to death!  I completely understood, and knew they would grow in their service, especially in the patient rural environment where they knew they were among friends.  Had I known their story at the communion table that day, I could have avoided an awkward moment. 

Consider how we might interpret some biblical events if we showed up a late.  What would we think if we happened on an unfinished tower called Babel, and discovered people were confused because they were suddenly speaking unknown languages?  Imagine finding a pillar of salt in the shape of a woman reaching back toward the city of Sodom.   Would we have been shocked, along with the disciples, to find Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman at a well?  And how would we fill in the blanks if we found a herd of pigs floating in the water at the bottom of a cliff or twelve disciples carrying baskets full of bread in a crowd of over five thousand people?  Would we have wept with Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, thinking someone had stolen Jesus’ body? 

There are many lessons to glean from the “I just got here” experience.  If nothing else, we learn to hold our tongue until we know more.  But I would propose there is also an important spiritual possibility to consider.   If God is always working in situations to accomplish His purpose, then perhaps one of our first questions should be, “What is the Lord doing here?”  Or more accurately, “How has the Lord been working in this situation before I arrived?”  When we contemplate how God has and is bringing people and events together to accomplish His will, we are more inclined to look for ways to be a part of His story; as opposed to creating our own story. 

Is there a circumstance in your life today where you are the one who just arrived?  Are you perplexed because you can’t seem to say or do anything right, having only partial knowledge of how the people around you arrived at the present?  It’s OK.  We all experience the confusion of “just getting here.”  We can’t be everywhere with everyone all the time.  But we can seek God’s wisdom, strive to discern how His hand is moving, and speak and act with grace as we determine our next steps. 

Incidentally, our next step might be to let others take care of what happened before we showed up.  We don’t have to speak into everything, and there is something to be said for merely smiling and praying for those around us as we leave them to solve challenges that don’t involve us.

Primarily, we need to ask God to show us how we might “help and not hurt” when we find ourselves in the middle of a puzzling situation.  As the brother of Jesus reminds us in James 3:13, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Always seek the wisdom of God in every situation.  Perhaps the place where you just arrived is exactly where God wanted you to be.  Now you just need to figure out what He needs you to do.