"What is it?" I said, looking up from the hotel tablet on the desk that had captured my attention.
"There's a cockroach in there next to the toilet!"
I stood up and went into the bathroom to inspect. Peeling off a strip of toilet paper from the dispenser, I pressed down on the unwelcome intruder, picked it up, and quickly dropped it in the toilet, and flushed it down, then returned to the room.
"You're my hero!" She exclaimed.
Just then my phone chimed and a text message lit it up. It was from the hotel:
"Just checking in--how is your stay going so far? Feel free to reply back with a 1-5 (5 being excellent). Have a great day! - Jared"I'm not one to complain, and even now I wasn't intending to, but since they asked, I replied:
"1 - bad timing. My wife just came out of the bathroom asking me to kill the roach in there. I flushed it down the toilet."My wife and I were on a weekend get-away, a gift from the KCC leadership, and I surprised her with a night at a famous and historic hotel in Chicago's Loop area. My wife had longed to stay at there for as long as she can remember, but didn't think it was a possibility due to the cost. Even with just one night, we knew it would be spending well over half our budget for the weekend. But there are times when you just tell your wife, "Honey, you're worth it!" This was one of those times.
As we were planning out our morning exploration, I received another text message on my phone. This one said:
"My sincere apologies Mr. Severance, I have adjusted your room rate by half for the inconvenience and I have also notified our property operations team. - Justin J"I was speechless as I tossed my phone onto the bed for my wife to read the text. After she read it, she said, "I think God blessed us with that cockroach!"
As I considered her words, I thought of the verse in Romans, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Despite the circumstances, we can know God is still active and working in the lives of those who love him. What a great reminder, in such a simple way, that "God has got this!"
His blessings come unexpectedly, and so often, in ways you would not recognize. So the next time you encounter a "cockroach" across your path, just remember as you take care of the problem, God may have a blessing in store for you later on!
