Experiencing it.
My life is never boring. For a week now, I've been bugging the old lady to call her daughter. Not really sure why; mostly because I had to explain to her for the umpteenth time that her daughter is in love with someone and she needs to accept it.
I did several years ago.
Anyway, she's been kinda hem-hawing about it but after today, she decided she ought to.
You've heard these stories a bazillion times. I'm someplace I'm not usually at, and something unusual happens. Today's goes like this: My mom came up and wanted some salsa made (thanks for helping me make it, mom!). We ran up to the fruit highway and bought what we needed. Usually, I just drive home the way I came because I like Highway 89. It's a neat road to travel. One day, I'm gonna drive the whole thing, but not time for that rabbit trail. This time, though, I decided to take the freeway home, so while driving through Brigham City, by the Walmart, and stopped for the light, that's when I noticed the car with the Maine license plates. OK, welcome to Utah. Ain't going there. It doesn't mean anything.
By itself.
I did point it out to my mom, though.
So we're on I-15 now and headed to Smith & Edwards because my mom wanted to see it. A van gets on the freeway and merges in front of us. With Indiana plates. I laugh and point it out to my mom, but it doesn't mean anything.
By itself.
And then....
We have to stop at the Winco to finish shopping for salsa. We need jars and they're $1 a case cheaper than everyone else. As we're walking into the store, a lady comes out right in front of us and I notice she's used her own shopping bags. One of them is from a Meijer grocery store. Last time I saw one was in Richmond, Indiana.
Told my mom to make sure I reminded the old lady to call her daughter. She did and left a message.
Each thing by itself doesn't add up to much. But three, coupled with this. There's a devotional in my Promise Keepers devotional Bible that kind of talks about being at a crossroads. I read it to Miss June because of something that happened earlier in the week to me and I had a decision to make which involved trusting God. The story was about a successful basketball coach who in 1976 took a job at a small school in Indiana because the demands on his family wouldn't be as great as the more prominent coaching jobs he was being offered. The devotion was about trusting God to lead us along the right path. She got out of it that Wendi was born in 1976 and in Indiana.
It only meant that to her. I saw five cars today with Oregon license plates. I pointed them out to my mom.
My mom has heard about this. Today she saw it. I didn't ask her what she thought about it and by no means am I going down rabbit trails after Wendi. God picked someone far better for me and that's focus of my life right now. I'm trusting God and loving her the best way I can right now. But the things may have meant something to the old lady so I told her about them and after hemming and hawing she finally picked up the phone today.
I think that's a great segue into the point I'd like to make. God's Word is a vibrant, living thing. You could take five different people, preach the same message, and it will touch the same five people in five different ways. The thing I read to June touched my life as I was trying to explain why I stay on this path I'm on...when sometimes it seems like it's leading nowhere. I shared the devotional with her and her takeaway was 1976 and Indiana. Mine was that I was following God at the fork in the road I ran into.
I chose wisely, but that's another story.
My mentor and friend Karl and I were talking about this but not in those particular terms the other day. He preached a message he's planned a while in advance and someone comes up to him and says "how did you know I was going to be here today?" I know that messages have hit me right where I live before and hit the next person to shake the pastor's hand with equal force but for completely different reasons.
My circumstances aren't unique. I can point out several people who have shared or similar experiences: Ruth, Hosea, Job (but his was far, far worse than mine!) and Jonah. Ruth lived with her mother-in-law and I live with June who used to be mine. Hosea, well, read the first three chapters of his book in Scripture and you'll get the picture. Job and I lost quite a bit but mine was a slower process and God in His mercy let me keep the house and the truck. Jonah and I also have an experience with disobeying God. Jonah was on a much quicker timetable than I had so God sent a storm and a big fish and after three days, Jonah was back on track and on mission. Yours truly had to learn about unintended consequences, love, obedience, and trust in God to get my shot at a second chance.
Their stories come alive in my life as I get to live out Scripture. A lot has happened to me in a short time, but then maybe I'm on my own version of the fast track. I don't have 50 years to prepare and be transformed. I have substantially less time than that so God is using that time to His purposes, but I can relate to Jonah.
And Job. And Ruth. And several others.
So while you're contemplating the things I wrote about before, and before you dismiss them, read the book of Ruth. You'll find some stores about going someplace you shouldn't even be, where bad things happen, and then coming back, listening and doing, a coincidence that was anything but, redemption, and a young woman who wound up being in Jesus' family tree.
And then tell me it don't mean nothing..........
I did several years ago.
Anyway, she's been kinda hem-hawing about it but after today, she decided she ought to.
You've heard these stories a bazillion times. I'm someplace I'm not usually at, and something unusual happens. Today's goes like this: My mom came up and wanted some salsa made (thanks for helping me make it, mom!). We ran up to the fruit highway and bought what we needed. Usually, I just drive home the way I came because I like Highway 89. It's a neat road to travel. One day, I'm gonna drive the whole thing, but not time for that rabbit trail. This time, though, I decided to take the freeway home, so while driving through Brigham City, by the Walmart, and stopped for the light, that's when I noticed the car with the Maine license plates. OK, welcome to Utah. Ain't going there. It doesn't mean anything.
By itself.
I did point it out to my mom, though.
So we're on I-15 now and headed to Smith & Edwards because my mom wanted to see it. A van gets on the freeway and merges in front of us. With Indiana plates. I laugh and point it out to my mom, but it doesn't mean anything.
By itself.
And then....
We have to stop at the Winco to finish shopping for salsa. We need jars and they're $1 a case cheaper than everyone else. As we're walking into the store, a lady comes out right in front of us and I notice she's used her own shopping bags. One of them is from a Meijer grocery store. Last time I saw one was in Richmond, Indiana.
Told my mom to make sure I reminded the old lady to call her daughter. She did and left a message.
Each thing by itself doesn't add up to much. But three, coupled with this. There's a devotional in my Promise Keepers devotional Bible that kind of talks about being at a crossroads. I read it to Miss June because of something that happened earlier in the week to me and I had a decision to make which involved trusting God. The story was about a successful basketball coach who in 1976 took a job at a small school in Indiana because the demands on his family wouldn't be as great as the more prominent coaching jobs he was being offered. The devotion was about trusting God to lead us along the right path. She got out of it that Wendi was born in 1976 and in Indiana.
It only meant that to her. I saw five cars today with Oregon license plates. I pointed them out to my mom.
My mom has heard about this. Today she saw it. I didn't ask her what she thought about it and by no means am I going down rabbit trails after Wendi. God picked someone far better for me and that's focus of my life right now. I'm trusting God and loving her the best way I can right now. But the things may have meant something to the old lady so I told her about them and after hemming and hawing she finally picked up the phone today.
I think that's a great segue into the point I'd like to make. God's Word is a vibrant, living thing. You could take five different people, preach the same message, and it will touch the same five people in five different ways. The thing I read to June touched my life as I was trying to explain why I stay on this path I'm on...when sometimes it seems like it's leading nowhere. I shared the devotional with her and her takeaway was 1976 and Indiana. Mine was that I was following God at the fork in the road I ran into.
I chose wisely, but that's another story.
My mentor and friend Karl and I were talking about this but not in those particular terms the other day. He preached a message he's planned a while in advance and someone comes up to him and says "how did you know I was going to be here today?" I know that messages have hit me right where I live before and hit the next person to shake the pastor's hand with equal force but for completely different reasons.
My circumstances aren't unique. I can point out several people who have shared or similar experiences: Ruth, Hosea, Job (but his was far, far worse than mine!) and Jonah. Ruth lived with her mother-in-law and I live with June who used to be mine. Hosea, well, read the first three chapters of his book in Scripture and you'll get the picture. Job and I lost quite a bit but mine was a slower process and God in His mercy let me keep the house and the truck. Jonah and I also have an experience with disobeying God. Jonah was on a much quicker timetable than I had so God sent a storm and a big fish and after three days, Jonah was back on track and on mission. Yours truly had to learn about unintended consequences, love, obedience, and trust in God to get my shot at a second chance.
Their stories come alive in my life as I get to live out Scripture. A lot has happened to me in a short time, but then maybe I'm on my own version of the fast track. I don't have 50 years to prepare and be transformed. I have substantially less time than that so God is using that time to His purposes, but I can relate to Jonah.
And Job. And Ruth. And several others.
So while you're contemplating the things I wrote about before, and before you dismiss them, read the book of Ruth. You'll find some stores about going someplace you shouldn't even be, where bad things happen, and then coming back, listening and doing, a coincidence that was anything but, redemption, and a young woman who wound up being in Jesus' family tree.
And then tell me it don't mean nothing..........
Comments
Post a Comment