This Sunday my small group attended Northwoods together, and the message delivered by Pastor Cal was awesome! He told of many success stories and ministered to everyone there so well. I heard that he read an e-mail of mine and and mentioned my name during the message on Saturday night. I wish I could have heard him! I didn't know he was going to do that!
It has been a long, long road for me to get to where I am today. I feel so loved by God, and I still have a few things to work out inside my own head. But God has brought me to where I am today. Without Him, I would be floundering in deep, murky waters that would eventually make me burst from the inside out.
So last Thursday I received an e-mail from a co-worker (T) asking for donations for another co-worker (A). When I first read it, the number 60 popped into my mind. I didn't really think much of it, expect I did think, "60 dollars? Really?" and then went on with my day. Friday, after school, I looked in my wallet, and all I had was a 10 dollar bill. I gave it to T and told her I would bring more on Monday. As I walked away, I wondered how much I would hand her on Monday because 60 dollars is more money than I usually ever give. A's daughter has brain cancer, and the tumors are inoperable. She is about 26 years old, and the doctors are not giving her much to look forward to. Monday rolled around, and I remembered my checkbook. I had written A's daughter a prayer of healing since I have never met her. T was going to drop it off when she dropped off the donation. In my class at Northwoods, I am learning how to pray for healing, and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to use what I have learned. Listen, Pray, Bless. I ran out to my car to get my checkbook, and as I did, I felt a nudge from God...give them the full 60. Money was never squandered in my household growing up, and it was hard for me to say here take it, but I wrote a check out for 50 dollars and gave it to T. I explained to her that I felt God told me to give 60 and while I normally would not have donated that much, I wanted to step out in faith and be obedient to God's will. While my 60 dollars will not perform some extraordinary miracle, I feel that I had made an extraordinary leap in my own faith journey. As I walked out of the room, I felt so good about my decision and thanked God for his role in my life.
That night as I laid sprawled out and exhausted on the couch, I received a text from T. She said,
"I gotta tell you that God used you today to speak to me about obedience - I need to listen AND follow His promptings instead of trying to compromise. Jesus didn't compromise at the cross and I need to remember that! Thanks for reminding me! Love ya dearly my friend."
I can't tell you how my insides felt as if I had a million beads shower me with God's love. It was so awesome! Then I had texted a friend who stopped by for lunch today. We ate out in the dugouts by the softball diamond. I found she was in need of prayer and while our time was cut short, she knows she is in my heart and my prayers. In class today we came upon the subject of divorce and one girl was mentioning how her parents fight all the time and I told her I would pray that her parents will work things out. She immediately said, "Thank you so much."
God keeps finding small ways to make my life so meaningful, and I am so thankful for that!
As I say to my students every day when they walk out the door for first hour, "Be good people, make good choices." On this blog I think I might add, "And listen for those nudges so you can deliver a miracle no matter how small."
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