There are amazing things about God. In fact, everything about Him is amazing. As the songwriter so profoundly said, “Could we with ink the Ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.” I think this line not only pertains to His love but also to how amazing He is. However, it is this awesomeness and greatness that sometimes causes our minds and thoughts to propel us in a lofty direction. We often just think of the “Big,” really “Big” things about God and His wonders. This often causes us to miss His presence and awesomeness in the small things He continually does. I would like to take this time to share with you a small but amazing blessing that God gave to me.
It wasn’t a particularly exciting adventure that Erika and I had set out to do. Actually, it was boring and mundane, or at least that is what we thought. It was late in the evening and the two of us were really not interested in doing anything but leaving church and going straight home. However, in a casual conversation, as we were driving to church, we discovered that both of us needed some things from the store and that we really needed them prior to heading off to work the next morning. So, after some debate on the merits of going home or going to the local Walmart, we decided that after our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we would head quickly to Walmart and pick up our necessary items.
Church was nice. I absolutely love Wednesday night service! It is the one service you can count on that everyone there really wants to be there. We have a dear lady at our church and I just know she loves Wednesday night services, too. She always gets blessed and the joy of the Lord just radiates from her. This Wednesday was no different and once again I was trying to stay close to her so that my saucer could “catch” the spillover of her blessings as her cup ran over. The message was spot on and I had successfully “filled up” to make it through the remainder of the week. {By the way, Wednesday night prayer meeting is a great way to get just the boost you need to keep you energized and motivated to continue with your daily Bible studies so you too can share your blessings with others. } Anyway, church came to a close and immediately I remembered that Erika and I had made a pact to go to the store. It was like I had just been smacked in the face with hot water. That wonderful feeling I had was just washed away—that ole devil, he doesn’t miss a beat.
We quickly left church and mostly complained all the way to Walmart. We devised a plan to divide and conquer and for each of us to effectively attack a region of the store, gather all the things the two of us needed and then meet in the front of the store in the check-out line. We hit the store like sprinters leaving the starting gate. Five minutes passed, then 10 minutes passed. Aisle by aisle, I was zooming through the merchandise. Then it happened, my eyes fixated on something that I wanted to explore more thoroughly, for me, time stood still. You guessed it! The next thing I knew there was Erika in my aisle, wanting to know where I had been and what I was doing. I sheepishly tried to explain and then apologized for having ruined our grand plan to conquer Walmart and get home all in less than ½ hour. But, Erika is Erika so she wasn’t angry, she just laughed at me and said, “so much for a quick trip to the store.” I felt kind of bad and then really started to feel as if I had not only wasted my time but had stolen hers as well. So, again the ole devil started chatting it up with me and just like Eve, I lingered for the conversation and by the time we had made it to the front of the store to check out I was sad, frustrated and personally defeated.
Then, it didn’t happen but He happened. Standing in the line waiting to checkout, feeling dejected and tired, a little, elderly lady motored up to the line. She was covered completely in items she and her husband had gathered. She could hardly see to navigate the scooter. Erika and I were busy unloading our cart and basically going about our business when things just seemed to come to a screeching halt. By now, I may have been beat up on by the devil but I was beginning to see a pattern. Every time I planned for a quick exit things slowed down, way down. My heart began to flutter a little for I knew the Lord was near. I turned around as if I could see Him when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I could! His presence was right there. No, I didn’t physically see Him, but I could feel Him and I could hear Him in my heart. Immediately, I tried to get Erika’s attention but I was afraid to dilly dally too long for fear I would miss my opportunity. So, I scanned left, then right and finally my eyes caught the eyes of the little lady buried in her scooter by groceries. It had to be God making this divine meeting because there was no other way I could have seen her eyes beneath all that stuff. So, I softly said, “Hi, there! Could you use some help?” Sometimes, it only takes a simple move of obedience to open the fountain of God’s blessings. This my friend, was one of those times. She sweetly replied, “Yes, my dear, my husband has gone to pick up some glass cleaner and I can’t unload my groceries from this scooter.” Quickly, Erika and I uncovered her as we unloaded her and her basket, in doing so we uncovered a wealth of knowledge about relationships and love. As she spoke to us about what it was like to be married 68 years to the same man and to live on this earth for 89 years, my heart just softened. I knew that her words of wisdom were just for me and that God had placed me in that place at that exact time so that I could hear Him through her. I listened eagerly and intently as she spoke. I hung on her every word.
My life was forever changed by that one small act of obedience and that short encounter with a woman who loved life and I believe, the Lord. In that 5-minute conversation, I learned lessons that will last me for a lifetime. In the soft touch of her hand, I felt the love that only a good mother can give. For that moment in time, the Lord gave me that feeling again—one I haven’t felt for over 4 years since my Mommy went home to be with the Lord. No, she wasn’t my Mom but for that moment, the Lord blessed me immensely by allowing me to feel that same touch and love as I had amazingly been blessed to feel nearly every day of my life. It may be a small thing to you, but to me, it was huge! Praise the Lord for the amazing things He has done, is doing and will do! Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me!