Recently I was speaking at a Women's Brunch. I did not know the pastor or his wife who were hosting this event. When I arrived at their home they were excited to tell me about the meeting which was scheduled for the next day. Their church is not large and is in a rural area. The fact that there were at least 100 women registered was thrilling and almost miraculous to them.
The next morning we drove to the church where the event was to take place. It was a bright morning filled with expectation. I walked into the building and felt such peace and presence. The tables were beautifully decorated in preparation for the guests. Each table had a vase in the center with one very large silky white feather. At each place setting was a small container of candies with a small white feather in the center.
The event coordinator for decorations had no idea of what my message would be about and I did not know the theme of the decorations when I chose my topic. I felt that I was to speak to the women about a very simple talk on forgiveness.
One of the stories that I often tell when speaking on forgiveness is about a woman who had resented her husband for 44 years. She had never told him and over the years the record of offenses against him had increased exponentially. She realized for her own sake, to be free of the torment in her life she needed to obey Matthew 18 and forgive him. She handed over to God the file folders of judgments she had against her husband and forgave him. When she had finished, she asked Father God what he gave her in place of her file folders of resentment. She told me with a smile that He gave her a FEATHER!
I later found out that the event coordinator had prayed and asked God to show her what the theme for the table decorations should be. she heard "Feathers." The other members of her team really wanted to use flowers on the tables but she held her ground, believing she had heard God. Once she heard my message and saw all the women stand up to forgive. She knew she had heard correctly because at each woman's place was a white feather for them to receive in exchange for their un-forgiveness!