Fifty Bucks

The most amazing thing happened to me today. I had been dreading having to go to the grocery store all week but I finally went this morning. I needed to buy a few things for our Pre-Thanksgiving dinner we planned to have for our high school buddies in addition to a few things we were lacking. As I was about to swipe my card for my purchases, the lady behind me asked the cashier to cancel out my card. She said she felt strongly that the Lord wanted her to pay for my groceries but she could only pay for my perishables. I tried to convince her that I didn’t need her to do so but she insisted. She thought it must be about her obedience and not so much my need as she fanned herself saying, "Okay Lord".

I reluctantly obliged.

I just didn’t feel that the Lord meant to pay for our Pre-Thanksgiving dinner. Surely, there are others in much more desperate need than myself. I felt even worse when I got to my truck and scanned the receipt only to learn that the woman had used her Food Stamp card to purchase my perishables worth $48.

Later in the day, we went to run some errands. I happened to have cash in my purse specifically for two payments I had to make. I went to make my first payment. While I was making my payment, a young man came up to the counter next to me and I heard him tell the teller that his girlfriend was supposed to wire him some money.

I finished with my transaction and went out to the car only Eddie was no where to be found, he had taken off. I called to see where he had gone to. He was at a store nearby thinking I was going to take longer. As I waited for Eddie to come pick me up, I noticed a shopping cart out in front of the place I had just come out of. It didn’t look like your typical homeless shopping cart.

And that’s when I felt the tug.

I felt the Lord telling me, “That money you saved this morning? You’re right. It wasn’t meant for you. It’s meant for the owner of this shopping cart.” I checked in my purse and I still had the money for the next payment I had to go make – a fifty dollar bill.

A FIFTY DOLLAR BILL!

“Lord, it’s a fifty dollar bill!” I tried to reason with God. Sure I tend to give a few dollars here and there to the homeless, but a FIFTY DOLLAR BILL? So in an effort to be obedient, I prayed and said, “Lord, if it is your will that I give this FIFTY DOLLAR BILL to the owner of this cart, if the person who owns this cart happens to materialize before Eddie picks me up, I will oblige.”

No sooner did I pray this and the guy that had walked up to the teller next to me came out of the place and walked up to the cart. Before I could lose my nerve, I went up to the young man and told him about how a woman had paid for my groceries just this very morning and how the whole time I knew in my heart it wasn’t meant for me. Then I handed him, gulp, the fifty dollar bill.

His eyes widened as he took the bill then he started weeping as he clutched the fifty dollar bill in his hand. After he gained his composure, he explained that he was here from Alabama looking for work. He had been staying at a hotel but had to check out because he was running out of money. He had his last fifty dollars in his account but a charge had gone through wiping him out completely. He had come to the Western Union hoping his girlfriend had wired him some money but she had not.

So imagine his surprise when this total stranger comes up to him and hands him a fifty dollar bill in God’s name. Eddie eventually drove up and was a bit shocked to see me with a total stranger in tow. We gave Quinten a ride to a shelter where he had made arrangements to stay until he can get back on his feet. I struggled with this wondering if I was supposed to do more but God eased my heart by having me reflect on what had transpired convincing me that He was taking care of Quinten. Hadn’t he used two people just this morning to help him out?

My God never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think there is nothing else He can do to top something He has done, He does. I wish I could tell the woman who paid for my groceries what eventually transpired but that would have to be up to God because I happened to be at the grocery store at a time I normally don’t go because I had the day off. I don’t know what kind of plans God has in store for Quinten but he promised to seek and trust God. As for me, I’m just so extremely humbled that God would have faith in me to do HIS will. Could it be I might actually be maturing in Christ? I pray for nothing more because my walk with Christ often feels like I take two steps forward, one step back.

I also struggled whether or not I should share this mostly because of Matthew 6:3, “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (NLT), but somehow I feel in my heart that it’s okay to share because this wasn’t just about an act of kindness, but more about a lesson in what will transpire when we are obedient to God.

Let Go by Sheila Walsh

Sheila does a wonderful job of taking you by the hand and walking you through the steps it takes to be free of the many burdens we tend to pile on and hold on to. She shares many heart-soothing quotes and stories to help guide you toward that step of deliverance. In addition, thought-provoking “deliverance” questions and guided prayer can be found at the end of each chapter.

I found the stories Sheila shared, some personal, to be a tremendous help to the reader in understanding that no matter the situation, one can live free of these burdens. I especially enjoyed this book for the questions and guided prayer provided at the end of each chapter. I didn’t realize I still had issues I needed to work through until I pondered some of these questions. After reading this book, I feel I’ve come away with a better sense of what it takes to live a life free of the burdens that can literally make life miserable.

Yes to God Study - Chapter 2: Flitting To And Fro

In this chapter we learn there is nothing other than God that can fulfill our needs. I find this to be so extraordinarily true. I am happiest, most content when I’m filling my life with everything God. I feel more at peace even when life is falling apart all around me; yet, knowing this, my resolve to stay in all things God falters every now and then. Life gets in the way. I become inundated with work, taking care of my family and soon I’ve gone days without opening my bible. So I’ve learned a few techniques to stay immersed even when life seems to want to squeeze out my time with God.

I carry my bible, my journal and a devotional in a book bag with me everywhere I go. In addition to reading Lysa's book, I'm reading my bible using the Grant Horner Reading Plan and my daily devo is "The Message/Remix Solo". I also listen to Christian music in my car on my way to and from work and while I’m at work, I’ll listen to sermons I download from iTunes. I literally immerse myself in everything God. I have to do so in order to remain in that place of contentment and peace.

Sharing my Faith with a Friend

We’re in the process of organizing our 25th class reunion. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since I graduated from high school! We’re trying to keep it fun by having get-togethers from here until we have our reunion next summer. We hosted this last get-together at our house on Sunday. One of our classmates who resides in Colorado came down to visit so we had this get-together in his honor. We had a tremendous turn-out and the last two guests didn’t leave until after midnight.

I was having fun listening to Eddie and our two guests converse while I perused my Facebook account. Their conversation went from discussing all aspects of rice (for our fundraiser) to music and then I heard them start talking about God. I closed my laptop and went to join them in what has to be my most favorite topic. Earlier in the evening, Roger had mentioned that there were two topics he did not like to discuss with anyone – politics and religion.

So what did we talk about this evening?

Politics and religion.

He started sharing how his marriage ended when his wife became a Christian. How she told him that he needed to give his life to Christ, to change his ways, or else their marriage wasn’t going to work. He was raised Catholic and is determined to die Catholic. Albert, who is a Christian, and I literally spent a couple of hours sharing our faith with Roger while Eddie listened and occasionally chimed in.

Roger also shared how he did not like just any Joe coming up to him on the street and try to share their beliefs with him. I then shared the story Lee Strobel had shared with us when he spoke at our church this past summer. What I remember of the story is that Lee had felt God pressing upon him to share his faith with someone he used to work with who, if I remember correctly, was an atheist. He shares that he went to his office and shared his faith but in the end, his friend was not touched at all. Lee couldn’t understand why God has asked him to do this. It wasn’t until a few years later when he was a pastor of a church that a guy came up to him and thanked him for sharing his faith. He explained that he had given his life to Christ after hearing Lee share his faith with that person he used to work with. What Lee didn’t realize when he was sharing his faith was that this guy was on his knees laying tile so Lee never saw him. He thought he was alone with his friend. So in reality, Lee thought the message was intended for his friend but it filtered down to this other guy.

Roger just listened as I explained to him that he should take the time to listen to anyone who wants to share their faith because the message could filter down to someone else. Then it hit me. Here we were inundating Roger with our faith and it was somehow filtering its way down to Eddie, too. During our conversation, Roger did profess that he believes in Christ but that he struggles thinking he has to leave the Catholic church to consider himself a Christian. We explained that he doesn’t – that he’s a Christian going to a catholic church, I’m a Christian going to a Christ centered church, and Albert is a Christian going to a Baptist church. I sensed his heart softening when Albert and I agreed that God was after him. It’s no coincidence that Roger would be sitting at my table and that the other last guest to leave is also a Christian. All in all, this was an awesome ending to a great evening. I just pray God continues to give me more opportunities to minister to my friends and others.