 I have a routine (feel free to judge me, I'm okay with that.) I shop on Amazon and then return the things that don’t work at the Kohl's Amazon return center. While I'm there I check the clearance section, then I cross the street, drop off any donations I have at Goodwill and do a quick walk through. On my phone there is a running list of things I'm looking for at Goodwill and I wait patiently (sometimes months) for them to arrive. I also have my eye on a few things at Kohl's, waiting for them to go on sale or to make it to the clearance section when I can use some of that great Kohl's cash and coupons I have stored up. One of the items on my Kohl's list is a beautiful artificial tree. I have looked at it for over 6 months, stalking it to the point that one Kohl's attendant thought I was up to no good. After she saw my love of this tree she told me it should go on sale soon. Well, it didn’t. I continued to check on it. Then all of the sudden it was gone. I was so sad. In the meantime, I would check Goodwill to see if someone had donated one, but no luck there either. On my last Kohl's walk through, I saw it! They moved it to a new and obscure location. There it was, my tree and it was 20% off and I had an additional 20% off coupon. This was the day I had been waiting for. The tree was $199 marked down to $159 but with my extra coupon it would now be $127. I was ready to go and then…. I thought about my budget. The fact that things have been a little tight and we have some big added expenses caused my husband and I to tightening our belts on the non essentials. So, I was now in a bit of a pickle. My wants vs. my needs. Urgh! I conversed with God saying “But God you know how long I have waited for this. This is the exception, right?” I looked at a smaller tree, not exactly the one I wanted, trying to rationalize my less expensive wants over what was needed. I found myself sadly walking away. I knew I made the right choice for our situation at the time, but it wasn't fun. I did ask God for one little thing. “God, you know how much I wanted that tree and how long I have waited. Could you just give me a little God wink and honor this choice I made and make this tree appear in Goodwill when I cross the street right now?” Please hear my heart, I’m not saying our actions deserve rewards from God. It was simply the prayer of my disappointed heart at the moment. I went to Goodwill, dropped off my donations, checked the half price color tag of the day to see if anything on my list matched. I began casually strolling the aisles seeing if I could catch any deals on things we needed. By this time, I had actually forgotten the conversation I had with the Lord, just 10 minutes earlier. So when I saw MY TREE right there, I stopped and said “wait, what.. God?” I instantly remembered that little prayer of my heart, not actually expecting the Lord to even care, but there it was . There HE WAS. I looked at this tree (that wasn't even half off) and paid full price for it! Yeah, you heard me! I paid the full $8 for it. Granted, it wasn’t as healthy and leafy as the Kohl's version, which is why I'm hiding half of it behind a chair. My "Goodwill, God Wink" Tree had a few miles on it, needed to be dusted off and cleaned up, but to me this tree was a reminder that I really needed in the season I'm in. The comfort of knowing God still sees me, still cares and wants to remind me that He will handle the things in my life that are out of my control was the perfect gift. I needed a God wink and I needed it this day. Each time I look at my “Charlie Brown” tree that's missing several branches and leaves, I will remember that God is near, He hears and He really does care. If He cares about a silly tree, how much more does he care about the things that truly matter. He cares, He sees, He loves. 
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 There was something troubling my spirit today that I thought I could live with. I sat down to read my scripture and by the time I was done reading, I was convicted in my soul to repent and confess. Here's the thing. The scripture had nothing to do specifically with my issue. It was simply the Word of God being alive with the power to move my heart. Sometimes the Word is specific and others times it's simply the heart of God. Either way, when we hear God calling us to repent, It's best to simply obey. #NoteToSelf  Today in my scheduled reading of Romans 10, verse 15 jumped off the page and embedded itself in my soul. Pointing back to Isaiah, it says “How beautiful are the feet of those who announced the gospel of good things” This past week. I saw them. I saw the beautiful feet of those working in the local church day and night. I saw the Pastors, tutors, teachers, cooks and translators sharing the gospel through words and deeds. I saw the local church doing what God called it to do. And I saw, as the Message translation so perfectly says, “A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!” There were processions, there were testimonies and there were declarations of what God is doing through the local church. Through Compassion International we get to support the work. We get to be a part of releasing children one by one from the cycle of poverty. And when we do that we not only release a child, but the ripple effect to the family, the siblings, the local church and into the community is evident. I witnessed it. I saw it. I believe in the work that is being done. I’m once again overwhelmed to be a part of the call to carry the Gospel with Compassion partners around the world. And for that part , I am honored. To be able to see my sweet Jasilil again, visit her church, home and her mother was a gift. She has grown so tall and 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒 the same sport that I played through college, 𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋! I continue to pray for her and her dream to become a Flight Attendant one day (which is also my secret ambition). I know that through the support she receives she will succeed. She will chase her dreams and break the cycle. This I know. Check out my link to be apart of the work and begin a one on one relationship with a child today: compassion.com/Aspire In Jesus Name!  Without going into details, many of us may agree that our society is going a little off the rails. The world is redefining many of the core beliefs that the Bible clearly upholds. It seems like everyday there is something new on the news that seems almost unbelievable to me. I find myself thinking “how in the world can this be happening?” I am genuinely taken aback by the things I hear different groups, school boards, churches, believers in Christ, non believers, educated, uneducated, politicians, pastors, parents, children… the list goes on, saying and perpetuating. Can it get worse? Yes. Last time the world was so depraved, God sent a flood to curb the downward spiral, but promised not to do that again, so here we are. (And, no, I’m not advocating for a world flood) If you, like me, wonder how all this is happening, I’m reminded of this from Romans 8:6-8 “𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑-𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑-𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑-𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑤, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑠𝑜. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑.” People need Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. The world needs the Word of God to dwell richly in every person. But it starts with us. Go & Tell, don’t shrink back. Use your voice and platform whenever you are able and wherever God sends you or plants you. May the Word of God be the flood that the Lord uses to curb the mind-set of the flesh. May we walk diligently in the mind-set of the Spirit.  Sitting in the tension of 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟕 today. I was gonna go ahead and read chapter 8, but there is so much stirring in my soul that I’m just sitting with it.
I am no longer married to the law. It died and made me a widow. A widow free to be in the most beautiful relationship with Grace and Truth. The fruit I bear is from God. I belong to Him who was raised from the dead. I belong to Jesus. And in the same breath… the struggle is real. The battles are real. The things I want to do I don’t, and vice versa.  Yet, Jesus wins. The ending is secure. |
The BlogA collection of writings from a life based on the truth that about midnight anything can happen. 
AuthorAs an imperfect servant of the Lord, I often feel I am fumbling my way through life, looking upward for guidance and outward to love. So, I write about it, to break up the noise in my head. Categories
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