The Small Things That Make Me Smile

There are days when you truly feel God's presence and know He's answering prayer.  Then there are days when you are coasting, not really giving it much thought.  And... there are days when you're recovering from a huge trial and are emotionally spent.

Yesterday, I prayed for God to restore my soul - as my day was about as bad as I've had since I was in college, where things got pretty rough in my walk.  Now, I'm not saying my walk was negatively affected yesterday.  What I'm saying is the devil was doing his best to shake me up and rattle my cage. And if my walk wasn't solid - my world could have turned upside down.

Without giving you details (as they're a bit too crazy to post here) I will say that by the time it was all said and done - my head was spinning. I wondered just how in the world I'd gotten to where I was, and started on a slippery slope that led to a pity party for about twenty minutes.

Until I realized, that God has everything under control. I just needed to look to Him for guidance and reassurance. Yesterday's result was not a miraculous perfect ending, tied up in a pretty bow. I faced some serious consequences, but through it all, I asked God to show me where He was... to show up... to give me something good from the day.

Two things happened that were absolute gifts from Him. And with them, He expressed how much He loved me. Even though I was dealt a bad hand, He was with me through it and sending blessings my way.

Blessing #1:

• After asking my tax attorney to file for an extension (my grandmother died last week and I knew I'd never get everything turned into him in time), he called me around 4 p.m. and took it upon himself to work out my taxes (I had already turned my w2's and 1099's).  He told me that he'd hate for me to waste money on an extension, and asked if I could find time to get my expenses and mileage to him by the 14th.

Okay... who does that? A tax accountant/attorney in the middle of tax season, who is slammed with everyone's taxes -- takes extra time to do what he can for me and ask for me to get him the rest to help me get my refund faster.  

Blessing #2:

• I had to buy a couple work polo's for an event, so I drove to Dick's Sporting Goods today. I walked in thinking,  'I hope I can get two but may only be able to afford one'.  (stay with me) After checking prices and trying a few on... I decided I could only afford one and was thankful to find one on sale for 28.00.  I thought this was my blessing and was so grateful.

The real blessing behind curtain #2:

• When I got to the register, the sales associate accidentally rang it up twice. He gave the register a blank stare, and looked at me with amusement, saying, "These buy one get one free.  Go pick out another one on sale."   I blinked with surprise and found only one more on sale that was my size.  Did you catch that?  There were only two in my size, and I got one for free.  God knew my needs, and He provided.  

Now, I know these aren't huge things in the grand scheme of things. Most people wouldn't say they add up to much, but the fact that my accountant felt led to take the lead on my taxes to save me money was a sweet gesture. (And the refund isn't a kick in the teeth either)

And, it turns out the sales associate who 'accidentally' scanned my polo twice, is a youth minister. He was very open about his faith once I thanked him for his mistake, and gave credit to God for my blessing (some call it good fortune).  

God's hand was in all of this - to show me that He works in even the smallest details.  I may have had a disastrous day yesterday (we're not promised an easy life ... Jesus states that we will suffer in this world) but God is with us through all things good and bad.  And if we turn to Him, and thank him throughout the chaos, He will show up in the most unexpected ways.

God is good ... All. The. Time.  And He not only restores my soul, but encourages me to spread His good name with others.  This is why I just had to share this with you.