My last blog post included an anecdote about a pink latch hook tool I had searched the internet for to no avail. The postal delivery lady, one fine day, shoved a craft kit I had ordered on ebay into my mailbox and I discovered that the nameless, faceless seller had tucked the very tool I wanted on top. Well, since that fateful day, I have attached a name to the hand that tucked the tool into the box, thereby setting in motion a chain of events that would assure us both that God has each of us tucked beneath his wings. The day I opened the box, my heart leapt with joy and I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in the situation. I felt the Lord patting my little gray-streaked head (covered artfully with color and highlights), telling me that what matters to me, matters to Him. Loving me and my little crafting endeavors. But there was more, and, as I am finding is the case with all believers, it's always about more than latch hook.
For reasons that are yet unknown to me, I decided last Sunday (a couple of weeks after receiving my latch hook tool from the heavens) to send the seller, who went by a moniker like Smith Storefront (I have changed it to keep her anonymous) which made me wonder if it was a person or a company, a little note letting them know they had become the unintended star of my last blog post. I gave them my blog address. Next thing I know, I receive a long reply from a woman I'll call Linda. Linda, who is not far from my own age, had begged God for a "whisper." She was now rejoicing after getting my message, feeling greatly encouraged. She had suffered many personal setbacks in the previous year and desperately needed to feel that God was with her. Her reply to me was long and heartfelt. A follow-up note included the information that the day she packed my box, she had a collection of latch hooks to choose from and had almost put a different one in. Both of us now know why she did not.
God is in EVERYTHING that touches us. I am so thankful for that. Today, I was beating myself with the broomstick of righteous indignation that I had not accomplished more. Casting about for inspiration after a frustrating day of dealing with my own shortcomings in the self-discipline arena, I logged onto the 700 Club website and began watching testimonies. A man raised on the mean streets of Kansas City who was paralyzed during a gunfight twenty years ago talked about how he overcame, though the faith in Christ he found after his ordeal, all of the obstacles he faced to become a lawyer and mentor to youth facing challenges similar to the ones he battled as a child. He shared that he had found that he would always have what he needed to do what God called him to do. At some point a young man he was mentoring came into view on the screen, the scripture reference Jeremiah 29:11 on his sleeve. I immediately dissolved into tears. Let me share that verse with you (with joy) "For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
For reasons that are yet unknown to me, I decided last Sunday (a couple of weeks after receiving my latch hook tool from the heavens) to send the seller, who went by a moniker like Smith Storefront (I have changed it to keep her anonymous) which made me wonder if it was a person or a company, a little note letting them know they had become the unintended star of my last blog post. I gave them my blog address. Next thing I know, I receive a long reply from a woman I'll call Linda. Linda, who is not far from my own age, had begged God for a "whisper." She was now rejoicing after getting my message, feeling greatly encouraged. She had suffered many personal setbacks in the previous year and desperately needed to feel that God was with her. Her reply to me was long and heartfelt. A follow-up note included the information that the day she packed my box, she had a collection of latch hooks to choose from and had almost put a different one in. Both of us now know why she did not.
God is in EVERYTHING that touches us. I am so thankful for that. Today, I was beating myself with the broomstick of righteous indignation that I had not accomplished more. Casting about for inspiration after a frustrating day of dealing with my own shortcomings in the self-discipline arena, I logged onto the 700 Club website and began watching testimonies. A man raised on the mean streets of Kansas City who was paralyzed during a gunfight twenty years ago talked about how he overcame, though the faith in Christ he found after his ordeal, all of the obstacles he faced to become a lawyer and mentor to youth facing challenges similar to the ones he battled as a child. He shared that he had found that he would always have what he needed to do what God called him to do. At some point a young man he was mentoring came into view on the screen, the scripture reference Jeremiah 29:11 on his sleeve. I immediately dissolved into tears. Let me share that verse with you (with joy) "For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
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