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Posts Tagged ‘God cares’

What?

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on May 5, 2023| 1 Comment »

I had just paid rent and utilities, then I had an unexpected expense. There were ten days left until my widow’s check came in. If I was really frugal I could get by without dipping into my savings. But I needed ink and paper to print 100 funeral bulletins for the church (of which they would reimburse me later) and the guinea pig was almost out of hay. Hay is the main staple of their diet.

I stared into the fridge. Okay, I could still get by without going to the grocery store even if there was a slight echo inside it.

(Okay- it wasn’t this bad…yet!)

So, off I went on my mission … paper, printing ink, hay. I got to the office supply store. Paper was on sale – buy one get one free. Cool. I needed at least 800 sheets and a ream held 500 so that worked. I got the ink, grabbed two reams of paper, and headed to the cash register. The cashier let out a hmmph. She glared at me wide-eyed. “I see you have accumulated enough points to match your total. These are all free.” What?

Yep, all free.

Then I went to get the hay for my guinea pig. The cashier rang it up. “Good news. This is your twelfth bag, so it is free.” Okay. I didn’t even know about the twelfth bag-free offer.

On the way home I get a text asking if I would like a book booth at a women’s conference that weekend. Last minute, she knew but was hoping … YES!! A chance to make a bit of money.

Call it luck, call it whatever you wish, but I call it God’s love. The Bible says the Lord has a heart for widows and orphans. He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows (Psalm 68:5). I can tell you that during these past twelve years of widowhood, He has come through time and again for me. This errand run is just one example.

But He will do the same for any believer, as any loving father would provide for his child. I love it when He quietly reminds me of that fact. It is like a warm hug.

Today I found God in two errand trips. Where will you find Him moving in your life today?

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PLIGHT

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on September 9, 2020| 1 Comment »

The online dictionary defines the word plight as “a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.” Many people may think that describes 2020.

I disagree. For me, I choose to define plight as:

Purpose Lies In God’s Holy Timing.

Call me unrealistic, but I prefer to think that God purposes our plights.  Paul did as well. He told the Roman Christians,  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (8:28).  If anyone experienced plight over and over it was Paul. Prison, beatings, hunger, poverty, loss of pride, being misunderstood by his peers, rejected by his mentors, stonings, shipwrecks, and being temporarily blinded. Finally executed by the government he had once been so proud to be a part of.

Finding purpose in my plight gives me encouragement. It turns me from inwardly negative thoughts to outwardly positive ones. Instead of seeing things as senseless, it helps me make sense of them. Pollyanna-like optimism? Perhaps.  But over and over it is what I choose because to do otherwise would be to sink into the pit of despair. Only when I hold it inside does it control me. When I give it to God to use, it frees me.

I believe God knows all, sees all, and loves us all.  Whatever I go through, I am confident it will either

  • strengthen me
  • help me rely more on God
  • teach me how to handle
  • correct a flaw in my character
  • bring me a reason to look for my blessings, which I may have been ignoring
  • give others hope

Is there a purpose in my plight? If there isn’t, then my faith is shallow, my God is harsh, and my life is meaningless. NO. I refuse to accept that.

Above all else, I know that God is there and He cares. The proof is in the ways He has purposed my plight in the past…and in yours.

Can I get an

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Proof of Purpose

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , on August 16, 2018| 1 Comment »

…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13

Sometimes, I have doubts. I know I am not supposed to, but I’ve always been one who judged my efforts by tangible results. It’s why I  love to clean–my  house, the church altar, the car. I immediately see the fruits of my labor and it feels good.

As a digital missionary who writes and edits for The Life Project,but not yet fully funded to do the work, my efforts are not always as visible. I become frustrated and wonder if they will tell me they can’t use me anymore because I can’t pay my way, which would break my heart.

Or as an author who struggles to get anyone to read or review her novels, even if those who do usually award them 4-5 stars. (I can picture other writer and authors nodding. We all struggle with it.)

Sometimes, I just wonder…am I even making a difference? Why put out the effort? Am I fooling myself? Should I just hang this all up?

God quietly responded this past week. “You are doing fine, daughter. Keep going.” How?

  • My Life Project team sent me gifts as a thank you for my service and a nice note telling me how vital I am to the ministry.
  • One of my articles saved a Satanist, helped another woman in an abusive relationship, and has now been translated into French and picked up by two other missionary publications, reaching thousands more than most of the other articles.
  • A friend told me one devotional I wrote was exactly what she needed to hear that day.
  • Another devo converted a man in prison, and he has made copies for others to read.

I say this not to puff up my ego, but to show that if we ask, God will provide proof that we are in His will, even if we can’t see it. It was a confirmation that He not only has a purpose for me but loves me enough to show me, the one exhibiting a “ye of little faith” moment.

But then, as if to drive home the point, God intervened again.

I set a pot of eggs to boil on the stove, then gathered my trash, hung it to my walker, and shuffled it across the way to the apartment dumpster. When I came back inside, the place smelled weird and my cat kept sneezing. I turned the corner to see flames leaping on top of my stove.

I’d placed a pair of kitchen shears too close to the burner. The toxic odor of burning plastic quickly filled my nostrils and made my eyes water. Terrified, I prayed a split second prayer. What do I do?

My logical side kicked in. I put out the fire, clicked on the stove vent, and opened the patio door and windows to air the place out. Soon both my cat and I began to breathe better. And I’d caught it in time, so the fire alarm didn’t blare in our ears.

So why do I contribute this to God answering me? Feeling fairly good for once, I’d thought about also dragging my walker up to the front of my large complex to get my mail, but then got a strong message, “Um, no. Don’t do that. Go back and get  your car keys. That is a too much of a trek in your condition.”

Had I ignored that thought and gone anyway, the whole kitchen might have caught fire, the fire alarm blare, and who knows what would have happened to my cat, which is apartment bound, as he inhaled all of those fumes.

Some might say it was my subconscious or the “universe” that made me change my mind. To me, God’s Holy Spirit did, and in the process, confirmed three more things. First, He is always watching over me. Second, He is ready to guide me. Third, He cares about things like me not losing my eight-year-old cat after having to put down my nineteen-year-old one two weeks ago.

Recently, I found a holy pat on the back through little things that happened one right after the other. Where will you find God today? Why not ask Him to reveal Himself and confirm His love and purpose for you?

 

 

 

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Where Did You See God Today?

Posted in Biblical, Life Experiences, Nature, tagged , , on September 5, 2012| 1 Comment »

I believe God reveals Himself in many ways –

through His Word,

a hymn,

nature,

something out of the ordinary,

or in the daily routine when something catches our eye. It may be a squirrel freely dancing across the park, a mother hugging a child, an old woman with an age of wisdom in her eyes, or an ant dragging a leaf three times its size.

Little things that make us suck in our breath and whisper  – OH! Suddenly, warmth like a bath towel fresh from the dryer envelops us. We can almost feel His Smile.

It is as if God placed that event there just for us like a tap on our shoulder to remind us He is there and He cares. . .more than we can ever know. And perhaps, it is the answer our souls were seeking  – even the one we had  yet to verbalize in prayer.

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