With a birthday in our extended family drawing near, I headed out to try and find a gift. As my husband is now retired, and we were never really a two-income family after our son's arrival close to thirty-two years ago, I try to be cautious with finances. As I entered the shop I prayed for the Lord to direct me to an item that would be meaningful, useful and reasonably priced. Yes, I pray over pretty much every purchase I make. I even pause and ask the Lord to put products on my grocery list on sale each week, and honestly, He really does!
The challenge is, when it comes to buying gifts for others, I'm a giver. I delight in doing things for family and friends. It's in my DNA to give. This giving extends to the Lord as well. I'm not kidding when I say, as a child, mom used to try and explain to me how I didn't have to put every penny I received into the offering plate. I remember as a young teen receiving a cheque for $100. I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it. Christmas was drawing near and I was so excited to be able to give it entirely to the Lord Christmas Sunday as my gift to Him.
The year I had my "dream job", employed at a Christian bookstore, my husband and I agreed that we would use my income to bless others. Each paycheck was an opportunity to be an instrument of encouragement in someone else's life. It was so much fun! God always showed me a need, and He gave me the delight of meeting that need, often anonymously. What a joy to be used by God in this way.
So, with giving woven deeply into who I am, it's hard to put the brakes on when everything within me wants to lavish a recipient in a way that lets them know how much they are loved. Needing to cut my coat according to the cloth, as I walked down each aisle, I kept asking the Lord to direct me.
I found an item that I thought the recipient would enjoy, but it was priced a little more than I had wanted to pay. I put it in my cart knowing I would just pinch pennies somewhere else in the days to come.
After picking up a couple of other things on my list I started to make my way to the cashier. As I approached the check-out line I glanced to my left. There, hanging amidst random other items, was a zippered-hoodie. It was more of a coat than a sweater. I remember thinking, I wish I could purchase that for this young man. I decided to walk over and just take a look. It was really nice, and it was his size. The price had been removed, but the barcode was still readable. Although its quality screamed that it would be costly, finding a "check price" machine I just had to scan the tag and see for myself. Imagine my shock when the screen read, "Reduced item - $10.00"!!!!
Tears of joy immediately filled my eyes as my nose began to tingle. As I walked to the front of the store to pay, I kept saying right out loud, "Thank You Lord! Thank You Lord!" I had prayed for God to direct my shopping and the joy of trusting Him and seeing Him provide.
Yes, God has every day trusts that bring every day joys. Don't miss opportunities to both see and experience the wonder and riches of the Lord as you trust Him with everything!
2 comments:
Thank You, Lord! Repeat! This gave me so much joy to relive with you. Thank you!
It was fun retelling it too!
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