A holiday reception at the general’s quarters meant a guaranteed delicacy, the legendary-secret-family-recipe: hammy whammies. The gracious host and his wife always provided a lavish spread of sweets and treats, but what defined “holiday reception” at their house were the scrumptious, can’t eat just one (or two), warm, sweet—with a savory bite!—hammy whammies. These receptions make the list of memorable military meals, along with the unit dining-in/mess night, the military ball, and in my husband’s case, the MRE with a trooper far from the kitchen table. Food can mark important life moments, as here in Luke 24.

Prior to the meal, Jesus, walking incognito with the two disciples, explained the reason for his sacrificial death from Scripture. To fully transition to truth about Jesus, we start by discovering what the Scriptures say about him. The New Testament reveals the truth about Christ clearly, and Jesus showed these disciples the same truth in the prophecies recorded by Moses and the prophets many years before his birth. He built the foundation for transformation in the hearts of these men.

When the trio reached Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he had further to travel. Moved by their conversation, the disciples pleaded with him to stay for dinner. As they gathered around the table, Jesus, the invited guest, did something out of the ordinary. He assumed the role of the host by taking the bread, blessing it, breaking it, and giving it to them. His action flipped on a light in their minds. Suddenly, they recognized Jesus. From Scripture, Jesus had revealed to them the truth of the plan; now he revealed to them the truth of his resurrected self.

They responded the same way people still respond when we experience that life-changing transition—to know and accept the truth that Jesus is not only a historical figure who changed society, he is also the resurrected redeemer who can transform our life. Even though it was late and they were travel-weary, they journeyed back to Jerusalem to share their experience with Jesus with the other Christ-followers. Their personal encounter with the Lord became something shared by all the disciples.

The meal these two disciples shared with Jesus in Emmaus is one that Christ-followers continue to recount today. The spiritual whammy they experienced in that meal is no secret recipe, but it is, without question, legendary and life-changing.

How did Jesus show his care for the disciples? Read Luke 24 and compare how they felt before and after the meeting. What before and after transitions have you experienced with Jesus?

A young military wife deplaned from the transatlantic flight and made her way through customs in Frankfurt Airport with her E4 chaplain-assistant husband and their two young children. Though tired from a restless overnight flight, they were eager to see their new home for the next three years. Her husband was to sign into the replacement center and then they would board the bus for the last leg of their long trip, to the German town of Wurzburg. She spotted him first—a man in uniform holding a sign with her husband’s name. As they came closer, she recognized the familiar chaplain’s cross insignia, but this was not the chaplain for whom her husband was to be working.

This chaplain had received approval to redirect the E4 and his family—if he could reach him at the airport before he signed in. After introducing himself, he announced that the young family would not be going to Wurzburg but to Wiesbaden. Wurzburg was east of Frankfurt. Wiesbaden was west of Frankfurt. Their welcome packet had prepared them for Wurzburg. Their household goods were going to Wurzburg. They knew nothing about Wiesbaden. Their journey to their new home had just taken a 180-degree turn in the opposite direction.

The military can surprise you with abrupt transitions, even in the midst of a change of station. The Lord used a similar tactic to redirect Saul, who would become known by his Greek name, Paul, in the middle of his journey from Jerusalem to Damascus. Saul thought he was doing the right thing in the eyes of God by tracking down and persecuting all the Jews who had become Christ-followers. I would love to have seen the look on his face as that bright light sent him to the ground. He heard the voice of Jesus redirecting his life with a 180-degree turn. In the dust on the road between cities, God began the transition in Saul’s life from persecuting anyone following the dead teacher Jesus, to preaching the good news of the risen Savior, Jesus the Lord.

God can begin a spiritual transition in us at a time and in a way that we may least expect. In the middle of a move, after we have pulled up roots, before we have settled, the Lord may ambush you to begin something new or different within you.

By the way, the E4 Specialist and his family left Germany three years later as E6 Staff Sergeant and family. For many years afterward, the couple said that the best thing that happened in their military life was a chaplain ambushing them at Frankfurt airport. No doubt, Saul would say the same of his ambush on the road to Damascus.

What circumstances or times of military transition such as deployment, PCS, temporary duty, or promotion have facilitated a heart transition in you?

My husband’s first deployment to Afghanistan included an unplanned three-day delay in Turkey. His unit took commercial flights to Germany then transferred people and equipment to several different military aircraft to fly to Afghanistan. His aircraft experienced engine trouble and landed in Turkey for repairs. Though he wanted to be with his unit, the three days at the U.S. airbase were an opportunity for my husband to to have his spirit refreshed by fellowship with Air Force chaplains there.

Saul experienced a three-day unplanned itinerary change in his mission’s journey. Unlike my husband’s refreshing timeout, this was a radical transition. His heart transition was not instant. The bright light he encountered when the Lord ambushed him caused temporary blindness and someone had to lead him by the hand to Damascus. The event affected him so much that he did not eat or drink during this period. As the hours passed, I imagine he wondered how long his blindness would last.

Transition of the heart can be painful, troubling, and can take time. The three days in darkness would have given Saul time to perhaps replay in his mind the encounter with Jesus on the road. He had thought he was honoring God by ridding his religion of any acknowledgement of the radical Jesus, but now he had experienced a divine encounter with this same Jesus. During his sightless days, God was working in him. The Lord gave Saul a vision of a man named Ananias who would come and lay his hands on him to restore his sight.

God could have given Saul this life-transitioning message while he was lying in the dust of the road. He could have immediately restored his sight, but Saul might not have completely processed what had happened if the transition message and restoration of sight had been immediate. He might have continued on his journey shaken, but unchanged.

God knows how to lead each of us through a heart transition, and he knows how long it will take. For Saul it took a blinding ambush while traveling, three days of blindness, a vision while blind, and the touch of another person—Ananias. Saul’s transition was so drastic that God used a supernatural occurrence, a physical incapacitation, a spiritual vision, and a human encounter. God orchestrated all these in such a way that Saul would never forget, or doubt, that God was redirecting his life.

Heart transition can be hard work. God knows where he wants us to be in our life journey with him. Sometimes he takes undeniable and unforgettable measures to get our attention and lead us through a meaningful transition.

Why do you think Saul’s conversion experience was so dramatic? What was your life like before you encountered Christ? How have you changed?

When the military sent us to Germany, my language skills were little more than “guten Tag” (Good day). Cautious excitement rose in me when a neighbor offered to tutor me in German if would help her improve her English. The arrangement led to a delightful friendship that also helped me transition my American mind to better understand the language and culture. I might have learned similar lessons from a book, but the human touch was better.

God knows what will move us down life’s road to get us in step with his plan. In coordinating Saul’s heart transition, God used a person to open his eyes and point him in the right direction. God used supernatural power to ambush and blind Saul, but to complete his heart transition, God sent a person to touch him and speak the words from the Lord. All Ananias did was touch and talk, yet God used him as his agent of change.

Ananias was a hesitant participant at first. How humorous to think that after receiving divine instructions to go and pray for Saul, Ananias informed the Lord about Saul’s reputation! Do you think he was asking if Jesus also knew the reports? The Lord did not rebuke him, he just repeated the instructions with clarity.

Heart transition is a God-thing designed for humans. Sometimes we are the ones needing the transition and the Lord uses others to help us. Other times, we are the ones used as part of the transition plan for someone God brings across our path. We may doubt that we can play a significant role in another’s heart transition, or we may question a prompting from the Lord to reach out to someone. Sister, don’t downplay or overlook the human connection as a part of God’s heart transition plan. Whether a simple cultural transition, or a radical spiritual transformation, God can use other people to make it happen. God can use you!

What role did obedience play in this leg of Saul’s spiritual journey? How has God used others in your spiritual journey?