"If Anything Matters, Then Everything Matters": Reflections from a Subway

So one thing I haven't talked about much is the subways here. Now, subways might not be unusual for most people in the United States, but I come from a small town where there are no taxis, much less subways. And an interesting thing I noticed was how separated everyone seemed to be. In my small town, I catch the eye of complete strangers and we smile and maybe nod. But when I tried to do that on the subway, people looked right through me, totally deadpan. Until last night. Three very different people. Three very different conversations. Three divine appointments.
1. I saw a little girl in pink and green tennis shoes with two black pigtails. I gave her my best "little kid" smile. Usually, that would have been the end of it, but her aunt saw me smiling and told her to say "hi." The next thing I knew, I was in a conversation with Joanna, who had never been to Korea before and was having a very good time visiting her family. We talked about piano and school and compared our tennis shoes (hers were much more stylish than mine). It was time to get off the subway, so I said goodbye to Joanna and her aunt, and headed for the door. Before I could go, however, that little girl came up to me shyly and said something softly. "What did you say? I didn't hear you, " I asked."You're pretty," she said, giving me the brightest, most beautiful smile I've ever seen. "Well, so are you," I smiled back. "Have fun in Korea!"
2. Then we changed to another subway. Out of habit, I smiled at a younger man sitting a few feet down the row from me. He smiled back. Oh, I thought, that's nice. Another friendly person. This was fine until I realized he was still looking at me and smiling as I chatted with my friend about our dogs and her apartment where we were going to stay. This made me a little uncomfortable. My discomfort increased exponentially when he asked, "How old are you?" Oh dear, this is awkward...and a little freaky, I thought. My tendency is to escape from awkward situations, but you can't exactly get away on a subway.
3. Then came the third conversation, which thankfully interrupted the second at this point. An older gentlemen across the aisle struck up a conversation with me, saying he loved to practice his English. It turned out that he was a retired English teacher, who had taught in a high school in Seoul for many years. He described his trip to London (which he enjoyed greatly), and seemed pleased when I told him that I intended to become a teacher. Although I couldn't hear everything he said, I enjoyed our conversation very much. Quite an intelligent and pleasant person.
All in all, it was an interesting evening. Some parts of it were more enjoyable than others. Joanna completely brightened up my night, the English teacher let me see someone passionate for their subject, and Mr. What-Is-Your-Age?...well, my friend theorized that he was drunk.
So why do I say divine appointments? Because, if I'm a Christian, I believe that those "chance" encounters were planned long before I knew I'd be in Korea. Long before I was born. And whether people even remember that they met or not, their meeting causes some tiny and unrecognized effect in the other. Hence the quote by W. Paul Young: "If anything matters, then everything matters." Even a subway ride at 9 PM under the streets of Seoul, South Korea. Nothing is too big for God to conform to His purposes. Nothing is too small for Him to work into His pattern. Nothing is meaningless; He uses it all.