Coincidence or God Showing Up

Romans 8:28 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.

Do you believe in coincidences?  Or do you believe there is a purpose for what happens to you?  God is doing things all around you every day.  He shows up when you least expect it and even when you haven’t asked for it. 

Twelve years ago, when my oldest son was in 1st grade, he started having behavioral problems at school.  His grades were also suffering and towards the end of the school year the teacher asked if I would allow him to stay after school a few times a week for tutoring.  Of course, I said yes. 

After the first day of tutoring, a teacher that I didn’t recognize walked my son to the car and introduced herself as his tutor.  We talked a little bit about what she would be doing with him and during the short conversation I mentioned that dyslexia runs in my ex-husband’s family.  She said she was the dyslexia teacher for his school, and she would keep that in mind while she was tutoring him.  After the very next tutoring session, the same teacher came to my car window and said she would have my son tested before the end of the school year. 

Typically, a teacher must complete an incredible amount of documentation before they can recommend a child for testing. But what typically takes 3 months to accomplish only took us 2 weeks.  My son was tested and started the 2nd grade with the accommodations he needed to be successful.  There is no way I could have accomplished this on my own.  God put that teacher and my son together in the right place at the right time.  It was not simply a coincidence that she was assigned as his tutor. It was 100% a God thing. 

The fact that my son has dyslexia is not a good thing, but the fact that we were able to identify it so early was. Once again, God showed up in my life. God can turn every circumstance around for our long-range good.  So, remember, God works in “all things” – not just isolated incidents – for our good.  Pay attention.  Look around.  Notice what God is doing in your life and then share your story with others.

Lord, thank you for taking an active role in my life.  Open my eyes to see what you are doing all around me and help me to be a witness and share my story with others. Amen.

I am Enough

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Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

A few weeks ago at the Women’s Night at my church we heard a message about using our voice and giving our testimony. Last week I shared a testimony with you that casted me in a very favorable light. This week, I’m going to share a testimony with you that is different. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but here it goes.

I am divorced. I’m not proud of it. I’m not ashamed of it. It is just a fact. I’m not going to get into the details of my divorce except to say that it left me very separated from God, my family and friends. I tried so hard to hide what was happening in my marriage that I had to keep everyone at arms length.

After my divorce I was raising a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 year old child. I was in an important position at my job too so I had a lot of pressure and responsibility. My entire life consisted of work and my boys. I was tired, lonely and a little depressed. I really didn’t have any friends back then. I had kept everyone so far away that I had isolated myself. My family was wonderful and very supportive but I still felt very alone.

After a few years I slowly started meeting people in my neighborhood and I learned to let other people help me so I could have a little free time to myself. But then I started craving more. I wanted more friends. I wanted more attention. I wanted to find a mate and it became my focus. I started going to clubs and online dating. I was determined to find a man to be a part of my life.

I put that desire in front of God, in front of my kids and in front of my career. I was reckless. I was having fun but it was an empty fun that left me still searching to fill that hole in my heart. I was going to church at that time but what happened at church stayed at church. I wasn’t acting like a Christian when I left the building.

A friend invited me to go with her to a different church one Sunday. We got there late and we had 5 kids with us so we ended up sitting in the overflow room. My friend was not impressed. But all I could think about was, “how can I get into the main room?”

I loved the singing and the worship and I wanted to be in the middle of it. So I returned the next Sunday and we sat in the main room. Wow! I was so overwhelmed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. I was hooked.

I kept returning, not just because of the music but because I was being fed. I was engaged with the message each time I went and I started leaning in to God. I wanted to be there and I wanted to learn more. Then one Sunday something happened. I was convicted by what the pastor said and inside I changed. I wanted to look on the outside how I felt on the inside. I wanted others to see the difference in me. I wanted there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I loved Jesus. When other people looked at me, I wanted them to see a little bit of Jesus.

So I started to change my behavior. It didn’t happen over night. It happened over a few years. But it happened. I changed my priorities. I changed where my focus was. I changed how I dressed. I changed the music I was listening too. I began to seek Him and I found Him. That is a promise from God. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So did that desire to find a mate just go away? No. Not at first. But I prayed about it. I asked Jesus to help me through it and He did. During worship at church one Sunday I kept hearing in my heart “let me be enough”. So I opened my heart and let Him in and I said YES! Jesus is enough for me.

Today I have JOY. Not happiness, because happiness comes and goes. I have a joy in knowing that Jesus is my Lord and savior. This year when I was looking for a Christmas present for myself, (come on moms, I know you do it too) because no way my 3 teenage boys were going to know what I wanted, a ring came up on the screen. The ring says, “I Am Enough”. Now some people might think that means that I, Debra, am enough. But that is not what it makes me think about. It reminds me of when I let Jesus into my heart and allowed him to be enough for me. I wear it often and with pride.

Jesus, thank you for being so patient with me while I found my way back to you. Thank you for walking by my side and being ready for me when I finally surrendered to you. Amen.

What is your Story?

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Do you have a story? You know, that story you like to tell at parties or to family and friends. When you tell it, you get very animated and excited. You draw people in with the humor or suspense of the story.  The more times you tell it, the better you get at the delivery of it. It really is a great story. 

That story is your testimony (spoken statement) of an event that you saw first-hand. That is all a testimony is. I think sometimes, when it comes to a testimony about your faith, people are scared to share it. Well let me tell you, it is a just a story. A story about one event in your life where God was present. You must have hundreds of them. I know I do. So, pick one and start telling it. The more you tell it, the better you will get at sharing it and the less scared you will be. Here is one of my stories.

A few years ago, I was cleaning out my purse and I found several gift cards that I had forgotten about. One was for Wal-Mart and I decided to use it to get gas. I called the number on the back to see how much money was on it and they confirmed there was $20. During my lunch break at work, I ran over to the Wal-Mart gas station to get my “free” gas. There must have been something wrong with the card (probably from floating around in my purse for so long) because it would not work at the pump. So, rolling my eyes, I went to the cashier’s window and tried to use the card there. Again, it did not work. The lady said she could not fix it but that I should go inside the store to the Customer Service desk. 

So, I got back in my car and drove over to the actual Wal-Mart store. I did not have a lot of time because I was on my lunch break, but I figured, how long could this take, right? Of course, when I got inside there was a line. Evidently the computer was not working right, and it was taking longer than normal to process each customer’s request. While I was waiting my turn, I noticed the lady in front of me had three children. Two young boys (maybe 5 and 3) and a little bitsy baby girl in one of those light weight “umbrella” strollers that fold up like an umbrella. The boys were patiently pushing the stroller back and forth as though to comfort the baby who was not making a peep. So sweet. So well behaved. When it was the lady’s turn, it appeared as though she was making an exchange. I guess it was not an equal exchange because she had to pull out her wallet and she started counting coins. Now I am thinking to myself, seriously? What was supposed to be a quick stop at Wal-Mart for gas has now taken me 20 minutes and I still do not have any gas! 

It was finally my turn and I told the worker behind the counter that my gift card was not working but that I had confirmed it had $20 on it. I was trying get some gas and they said I needed to come inside to fix it.  After about 5 or 6 minutes (remember the computers were not working right) I finally had my gift card and I headed out of the store to go get my gas. Thirty minutes! I could not believe I had wasted half my lunch hour trying to get gas. As I am walking back to my car, I pass the lady and her three kids. They were standing in front of a Redbox looking to rent a movie. I kept walking and then as clearly as I hear anyone speak to me, I heard God tell me, “Give her the gift card.”

I kept walking. In my defense, I was not sure what I was hearing or if I really heard it at all. But then I heard it again, “Give her the gift card. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” I have heard people talk about hearing God speak to them, but it had never happened to me. I had prayed that it would happen to me because I really wanted to hear from God, but up until now, it had never actually happened. So, I stopped, turned around and started walking back to the lady and her children. Honestly, I was scared. I had never done this before, and I was not sure what to say. I literally started weeping a little because I was so nervous and excited to be doing the Lord’s work. When I got back to her, I said, “God spoke to me and he wants me to give you this gift card. God bless you.” I handed her the gift card, she thanked me, and I walked away.

I got in my car and just cried. I was so overwhelmed with the entire situation. I could not believe how blessed I felt. I had used up 30 mintues of my time and ended up giving away the gift card, but I felt like I was the one that received a gift. I can see now that God orchestrated it all. Finding the gift card, going to the gas station, the card not working and putting me in line behind the lady He wanted to bless. All I had to do was listen and obey.

So, there you go, that is one of my stories (testimonies). I love telling it because it clearly shows God’s love for me and His desire to help me grow in my faith.  It also shows how He loves His other daughter and wanted to bless her through what He had given to me. I have shared that story a number of times and everyone I tell seems to be inspired by it. Now take some time and think about your story. Then look for opportunities to share it.

Heavenly Father, thank you for opportunities to bless other people. Open our eyes to see the needs of those around us, open our ears to hear you speak to us and open our hearts so that we can pour our faith into those you put into our path.  Amen.

My Prayer Today

Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he as done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I did not know what to share with you today in Simply Said Devotions and I was worried about that.  So, I decided to do what Paul said in Philippians 4:6. I decided to pray about it through my journaling. After I finished, I realized this is what Jesus wanted me to share with you.  This is was my journal entry.

Dear Lord,

I do not know what to write about. I am overwhelmed by how the people in this world are acting. I know there are good and Godly people out there because I encounter them every day, but I feel like their voices are not the voices that people can hear. The voice of conflict and controversy is the voice that resonates throughout our land right now. Arguing and unrest seems to be what people are drawn to. Rumors and untruths are more fun to discuss than peace and love.

Who are these people at the root of it? Who finds pleasure in stirring up the masses? I just do not understand it. Lord, I ask you to silence them. I ask you to make your glory known to the unbelievers so that they come to know that you are in control. So that they come to know that there is only ONE that can the king of my heart and soul. Shine a light on the fools and open our eyes so that their words are seen for what they are – empty lies.

Thank you for the peace that you promise all who bring you into their hearts. Thank you for the unconditional love that you show your people and thank you for walking next to me every day, even when I am not intentionally walking with you.

Peace be with you. Amen.

When you are worried and unsure how to proceed, take it to Jesus. When you are scared and cannot make a decision, take it to Jesus. When you are depressed and do not want to get up, take it to Jesus. Jesus himself has experienced every human emotion that you feel because he was a human too. Knowing that He is there for you is very comforting. Really, it’s everything to me.

Lord, thank you for being an ever-present help when I am in need. Thank you for being the voice of reason in my head and for providing me with peace in my heart. You are everything to me. Amen.