We flipped to Ezekial this morning.  We started off with 11:16 and worked our way through 12:21-28 this morning.  The life application notes reminded us that we have, indeed, received newer and more undivided hearts.  I have very much felt my purpose in more clear ways the past year.  The notes continue on to say that all that God has said is sure to happen.  The bottom line was to not think we ever have “plenty of time to get right with God.”

Whether it was coffee deficiency or something else, I almost had to giggle on the inside.  Now, the word of God is not funny business. It’s more like an inside joke between God and myself.  He chortles, pops me in the shoulder and says, “told ya so.” Why?  Because He had directed me to reach out to people in different ways, talk to strangers in a non-stranger way and to do some other things which I would have surely debated or questioned in the past.  At three in the morning, I had just emailed someone I had not seen at church in several months.  I woke up and could not go back to sleep without complying with what I felt was His will for me at that hour.

Since last Summer, there have been many times I have had a feeling like God was completely showing off for me.  It’s been phenomenal!  Heck, even my husband has felt some of it lately. So, I don’t question or fight it anymore.  I do my very best to shut up and just be obedient.  As it turns out, the emails exchange today with Miss 3:00 A.M.  have very much been for His Kingdom.  They also spurred other actions into place, including a great conversation with our pastor and a conversation with an older woman who has long since left our church.  She was absolutely put on my heart for a reason.  Not mine, His.

As I shared with our pastor,  these past church members are important to me.  I feel called to reach out. Church is a family and every family has a crazy uncle, loud sister or nut!  We love them, regardless.   To lighten the mood, I shared with him the simplest example of God in action. I shared Mark and I had been directed to provide new shoes for a family of four in our church.  My pastor knows how forthright and practical I can be.  I explained that we let them pick out the shoes.  I went on to write:

“You will appreciate that the shoes of choice for one of the kids SEEMED like an inappropriate choice for a kid who needed new shoes. Mark and I agreed it wasn’t our place to judge/guide/lead them to “better” choices. We did what we were lead to do, period. We told them Jesus wanted to hook them up with new shoes of their choice. Theirs, not ours   Well, we both were moved to tears when we saw her wear them to church with a dress yesterday. We have never seen her in a dress. In fact, nothing close to a dress or “Sunday Best”. And there the shoes were were in all of His glorious plan , being worn to church with a nice dress to honor Him.”

It’s humbling, really, to be taught such an important lesson by the best teacher possible. God is so Good!!!  All week long, we were in the word and had so many reminders about true Christian giving.  Hard and heart-pressed.   Jesus was directing us and used a young teenager in a blue dress to drive the point home.

Thank you, Lord, for holding our hands.