Don't Let Being Tired Get in the Way
When I was little, my mom would take me yard selling and to thrift shops where we would browse for hours. As an adult, I find sifting through the racks of used items to be relaxing and I enjoying finding little treasures that can’t be found anywhere else. Today I went to Goodwill looking for a black hand bag. I tried on a few things and perused all the purses but didn’t really find anything. I headed home, tired and ready to put on my pajamas. When I got there, I saw in the mirror I had lost an earring.
This wasn’t any old earring, I handmade it myself putting in all the texture, sawing the shape and making intricate cutouts from a rectangular sheet of sterling silver. I filed and sanded those two earrings until they were perfectly identical…hours of my time and creativity went into those earrings. After realizing one was missing, I checked my clothes, the car, and all the places I had just went in the house. The debate started in my mind…should I go back to the thrift store and check there or chalk it up as a loss. Part of me was like “oh well” too tired to bother, but the other part of me thought about how long they took to make. What a waste not to just go and see if I could find it. So I hopped back into the car and drove back to the store. I searched the dressing room and retraced all my steps. I even found the clothes I had tried on and gave them a police-pat-down. Half-hearted, I went to one of the registers and asked if they had found it. The cashier went to call the manager. I followed her over to the phone, which was by a few purses I had checked out just before exiting the store the first time. Low and behold, I glanced at the floor and literally right in front of where I was standing was the single earing I had lost. I scooped it up with both hands and clutched it close to my heart and said “Oh thank you Lord!” I thanked the young lady and headed for the door.
As I entered my car, God reminded me that He wants our obedience; obedience even when we don’t feel like it or are tired. He also reminded me that obedience leads to blessings when the Holy Spirit orders our steps. You move. Not letting fear, obstacle, stubbornness, or simply being lazy get in the way. You never know who He might lead you to or what kind of encounters of hope you may experience. Deuteronomy 28 speaks about blessings for obedience.
After leaving that Goodwill, I felt prompted to head 10 miles the opposite direction from my house to another Goodwill. After God spoke to my spirit, I certainly wasn’t going to ignore his direction. When I arrived at the location, it wasn’t a store at all; it was a donation drop off center. I still felt prompted to go in even though I didn’t have anything to donate. I walked up to the store; a young man came out to get my donation but looked very puzzled because my hands were empty. I reached into my purse and handed him an Encounters Of Hope gift card and explained what it was and how to activate it. He agreed to check it out and I turned to go. As I did, God gave me a reminder: “I will water the seeds that you sow.”
I smiled and wondered what amazing things God had in store for that man.
