In the summer of the year 2,000, my wife and I took our youth group to a convention in Orlando, Florida.

We heard that the largest McDonald’s in the country was a few minutes away from our hotel. During a break at the convention, we gathered the group together and headed for our Mcxperience. Everything was going well. The place was huge, the food was fattening, and all were happy.

One of the girls suddenly runs up to where my wife and I were seated. Her face was red, she had tears pouring down her cheeks, and she couldn’t speak. I instantly assumed something terrible had happened. It took a few moments and some help from her friends for us to get the story.

It turns out, A.J. McLean from the Backstreet Boys was in line ahead of her. She recognized him, they exchanged a few words, and he kissed her on the cheek before leaving.

You can imagine a teenage girl meeting one of her favorite celebrities unexpectedly. And this was at the pinnacle of the Backstreet Boys’ fame. No one was bigger in a young girls mind than the young men in the group.

Much of life is predictable, day after day the same thing. Month after month, the same routine. Year after year, similar events.

But every once in a while, an out of the ordinary moment comes along.

Some people wait for moments like that to happen. But it’s very rare for life to unfold that way. Other people are determined they can force big moments to occur in their life. And a certain group of people believe God makes those moments happen.

The truth is…

There are certain things in life that just happen.
There are other things that you have to make happen.
Then, there are times when God intervenes.
To believe in only one of these leaves you confused and powerless.

True wisdom is found in knowing how to see each event or circumstance.

Meeting a Backstreet Boy in a fast food restaurant. That just happens. No real rhyme or reason to it.

But, getting the results you desire in education, physical fitness, or relationships, those are areas where you play a part in making it happen. Don’t sit back and dream, push forward and do what you know to do.

Then there are times where things seem to super-naturally work out. It is very possible God is at work in those moments. We pray, and we do our part, but there is something deeper happening.

Don’t limit your understanding of how life works to just one category.

You might have moments that just happen. You will definitely have moments you need to make happen. Most of all, I hope you have a life filled with moments when God intervenes.

For all of us, “I Want It That Way.”

-Tom Wise