For some time now, I've been meaning to compile a list of good things that have happened to either me or to someone in my family -- things that just seemed to fall out of the sky, happenstance or, as I believe, God-derived.
A good friend of mine lost her 21-year-old son to a tragic mix of drugs and alcohol last month. As I started on my 90-minute trip down to the funeral, I stopped by my local Starbucks to get an iced tea and a snack. I'd had no breakfast and didn't want to be late for the service, so I went through the drive-through.
As I pulled up to pay for and receive my order, the cashier told me, "Put your money away. The man in front of you has already paid your bill."
I started crying.
"You don't understand," I said, as the young man looked on bewildered, obviously wondering what in the world would prompt such an outpouring of emotion. "I'm on my way to the funeral of a dear friend's son and I've been so sad about this. I really needed something good to happen today."
Then he asked me if I wanted to continue the chain of giving by paying for the order of the person behind me. I gladly agreed and hoped as I drove away that in some small way I'd blessed them.
Recently, I needed someone else to transport my children to various activities because I was unable to drive them myself. A good friend who leads my daughter's scout troop willingly agreed to take my girls to scouts. Another friend picked my son up for his gymnastics class and yet another friend kindly brought him home.
My oldest daughter has been working on her Junior Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest award a girl can earn at the junior level. Her troop decided to make and collect tote bags to take down to the Shriner's Children's Hospital in Galveston. This facility treats free of charge children from all over the world who have been burned.
I put out the word to a few friends that we needed tote bags. I figured we might collect 50 or maybe even 100 with any luck at all.
My daughter collected about 400 bags.
They came from friends of a long-distance cousin, the company my husband works for, the company a good family friend works for, several homeschool moms I've known for some years, my in-laws. Tote bags seemed to rain down from heaven and my daughter was absolutely thrilled.
Awhile back I wrote about a family we are trying to help. My children's piano teacher overheard me on the phone one day and after she was finished teaching she told me she, too, wanted to help this family. She's planning to bring me a gift card to give to them for Easter.
I'm sure I'm leaving out a million other small ways in which God has shown Himself to us these past several months and I'm thinking now I should keep a running list on my kitchen wall so everyone -- particularly my children -- can see how He works in our lives every single day.
It's humbling beyond measure, and I think it comes only as we are willing to give up ourselves and be led by something far greater than any of us. It's so much easier to follow than it is to try to lead and like so many other weary and tired sheep, I am grateful for the Shepherd who always seems to know what is needed when it is needed.
Divine Love (God) always has met and always will meet every human need.
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