My devotion for 12/13/12
"Our plans pale in comparison to His interruptions! The most significant desire that you will ever embrace is to ask God to interrupt your life with His love and His plans"
This devotion hit me hard and I prayed, God please allow me to hear and understand your interruptions and never to question them.
Something amazing happened to me yesterday. I'm not in any way telling this story to boast, but to tell how, when you listen to God, amazing things happen.
I went to Target to finally finish up all my Christmas shopping. One thing led to another while I was there, causing me to be there a lot longer than I had wanted. As I was checking out, (and putting things back because I'm such an impulsive shopper and was shopping alone therefore no accountability) a lady came up behind me and put a box of diapers on the thing behind my stuff. We made eye contact and joked about something on the cover of a magazine. I noticed the diapers were the same size that Norah (my niece) wears.
I went back to shockingly watching the price of my purchases go up and up when something came over me. I felt God tell me to help this lady. I argued for a second saying "really, I just put back that dress that I really loved because I couldn't buy it for myself and now you want me to help a stranger" (I'm human..ok) Suddenly, I couldn't move. It was almost like how the beginning of a panic attack feels. My palms were sweating and I felt like I was about to throw up. I have lots of panic attacks so it took me a second to realize what this actually was.
As I finished paying for my stuff, I asked the cashier if I could buy the ladies diapers. She said "really?" So I asked the lady if it was ok that I pay for her stuff.? She said "really?" So I did. She started crying and hugged me. She said several times, "you have no idea what this means to me." I assured her that I did. She told me that she is a single Mom and had to make the decision today of buying groceries for herself or diapers for the baby. I told her I knew exactly what she was talking about and have been there myself a couple of times and don't know that I won't be there next week or the week after that. I gave her the change back from the purchase and she hugged me again then the cashier came around, crying, and hugged us both.
As we are all engulfed in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we need to step back and remember what it is about. When Mary was told she would be carrying our Savior, her reply was simply "may it be done according to your word. Luke 1:38" How many of us would reply this way? How many of us reply to ANYTHING that way? How many of our beloved's would ask for forgiveness because they questioned the voice of God when they were told their betrothed was carrying the child of God?
So often, Christians use God as a Genie in a bottle. They only come to him when they need something. That's not a relationship. God desires to have a relationship with you. It makes me think of many Grandparents out there living in assistant living homes who all they want all day long is their loved one to visit or call and when they finally do they are quick to leave. While the Grandparent is joyful to spend even seconds with that loved one, it leaves them longing for more and wondering what they can do differently to make you want to be with them more. If you take the time this Christmas, to stop focusing on yourself and look at who you can serve instead, this will cause a ripple effect on your life and the lives of others.
Merry Christmas.
"Our plans pale in comparison to His interruptions! The most significant desire that you will ever embrace is to ask God to interrupt your life with His love and His plans"
This devotion hit me hard and I prayed, God please allow me to hear and understand your interruptions and never to question them.
Something amazing happened to me yesterday. I'm not in any way telling this story to boast, but to tell how, when you listen to God, amazing things happen.
I went to Target to finally finish up all my Christmas shopping. One thing led to another while I was there, causing me to be there a lot longer than I had wanted. As I was checking out, (and putting things back because I'm such an impulsive shopper and was shopping alone therefore no accountability) a lady came up behind me and put a box of diapers on the thing behind my stuff. We made eye contact and joked about something on the cover of a magazine. I noticed the diapers were the same size that Norah (my niece) wears.
I went back to shockingly watching the price of my purchases go up and up when something came over me. I felt God tell me to help this lady. I argued for a second saying "really, I just put back that dress that I really loved because I couldn't buy it for myself and now you want me to help a stranger" (I'm human..ok) Suddenly, I couldn't move. It was almost like how the beginning of a panic attack feels. My palms were sweating and I felt like I was about to throw up. I have lots of panic attacks so it took me a second to realize what this actually was.
As I finished paying for my stuff, I asked the cashier if I could buy the ladies diapers. She said "really?" So I asked the lady if it was ok that I pay for her stuff.? She said "really?" So I did. She started crying and hugged me. She said several times, "you have no idea what this means to me." I assured her that I did. She told me that she is a single Mom and had to make the decision today of buying groceries for herself or diapers for the baby. I told her I knew exactly what she was talking about and have been there myself a couple of times and don't know that I won't be there next week or the week after that. I gave her the change back from the purchase and she hugged me again then the cashier came around, crying, and hugged us both.
As we are all engulfed in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we need to step back and remember what it is about. When Mary was told she would be carrying our Savior, her reply was simply "may it be done according to your word. Luke 1:38" How many of us would reply this way? How many of us reply to ANYTHING that way? How many of our beloved's would ask for forgiveness because they questioned the voice of God when they were told their betrothed was carrying the child of God?
So often, Christians use God as a Genie in a bottle. They only come to him when they need something. That's not a relationship. God desires to have a relationship with you. It makes me think of many Grandparents out there living in assistant living homes who all they want all day long is their loved one to visit or call and when they finally do they are quick to leave. While the Grandparent is joyful to spend even seconds with that loved one, it leaves them longing for more and wondering what they can do differently to make you want to be with them more. If you take the time this Christmas, to stop focusing on yourself and look at who you can serve instead, this will cause a ripple effect on your life and the lives of others.
Merry Christmas.
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