I love how God teaches you little lessons along the way as you go through the average day to day stuff. It's a great reminder that He's right there walking beside you! But it's also so cool how he takes His truth and teaches you an object lesson through the things around you! I had a little lesson God brought to my mind today which I thought was just so cool.
The actual story is rather embarrassing, to tell the truth. I had gone to Taco Bell/Pizza Hut after church with my family and a couple friends to eat lunch. We had a great time and then left and had to run some errands before returning home. Because of this, it was about a half an hour after leaving the restaurant that we returned to my home. It took that long to realize I had forgotten something essential: my purse!
It was one of those -facepalm- moments. I had set my purse beside my chair at the restaurant and simply left without it. So we turned the car around and headed back to get it.
That five minute drive was one of the longest five minutes I've experienced! My mind started running through all the things I'd lose if my purse got stolen! For those of you who don't know, I hold like my entire life in that bag of mine! I would lose at least $40, my phone, my state ID, almost all my favorite lip glosses, and my bible! The thoughts raced through my head!
But it's funny how God can change your heart in five minutes! At first my prayers were super uptight and full of fear. "God, don't let anyone take my purse! That's so much money and my Bible is in there!" but as the five minutes progressed it was cool to see what He did.
God knows I'm a huge music person. I respond to music, so often He will speak to me by putting a song on the radio that speaks into that moment. Well, I don't remember the title of the song that came on...but the lyrics hit me because they were all about letting go of everything else and making Jesus your everything. I thought about that. Was it really so bad if I lost some state ID that had my picture from when I was like 15 on it? Was it so bad if I lost my old brick of a phone and had to get a new one? What about the forty dollars? Is that really so much in the span of eternity? Maybe someone needed that $40 to pay their mortgage or to put food on the table. Was it really so bad if I contributed $40 to that? And my bible. I love my bible. But maybe someone needed it more. Maybe the person who took that purse needed one of the verses I'd underlined.
I saw my thoughts changing from very me-centered to quite the opposite. My prayers at four and a half minutes sounded more like, "God, if someone did take that $40, please use it for a need in their life...not just as fun spending money."
I was amazed at the change I saw God make in my own heart. In five minutes He convicted me that I was not making Him everything. He showed me that maybe I'm holding onto my possessions too much and not trusting Him. And He gently reminded me that my things are not my own, but merely ones He has loaned me for the time being, and if He needs to take them back or use them for someone else, than I should be joyful in letting Him do that!
Well, my purse was still at Taco Bell when I got there to check. And I did give a big sigh of relief! But on the way back home I was just reflecting on how cool our Lord is! That He can use such a small thing as forgetting a purse, and take five minutes to teach me a lesson I won't soon forget.
As you go throughout your week this next week, try to be open to the little things God is showing you! You never know. Five minutes can be more significant than you think!
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