Faithfulness

I wanted to share a little story of God’s faithfulness in the wee details ( in the grind) of life. The first week of kindergarten for Lilly was great and smooth until FRIDAY. Friday hit and I think she was just exhausted. The nurse called me and told me she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to come home. He assured me that this was normal and for me to feel  free to come and get her. I really wanted ( he) and her teacher to try and just encourage her first before I rushed to get her because I didn’t want to myself encourage this routine. She was homesick (and her teacher she adores was out sick ) she is prone to upsetting herself and it affecting her tummy.  Truth be told I was probably missing her even more than she was missing me. The nurse called again a bit later and I decided to go and get her and lavish her with love. It had been a rough day on us both.

Sunday she woke up not feeling good and with a noticeable cold so you can imagine what Monday was going to be like. She woke up Monday NO DOUBT not feeling good, WANTING to stay home, and refusing to go to school. Homesickness combined with sickness but no fever. I knew this meant over the week it was only going to probably get worse. This parenting stuff is NO JOKE. I had to do what I felt in my heart and I felt I should make her at least TRY and not encourage staying home. Lilly was literally refusing. She was crying. Ignoring me and at one point literally laid on the bed stiff as a board and REFUSED to move. Sigh…. It was KILLING me. I wanted to just snuggle her up and keep her home. I turned around for something and she had run away in a split second and had made a dash to the living room and again refused to move. I was lovingly trying to encourage her. As she was slowly coming around she asked me to make up a sweet song for her so “she could tuck it in her heart for today.” I (fighting back tears myself) picked her up and held her and rocked her and sang her a song. I sang of how special she was, how brave she was, and how amazing today was going to be, and how mommy would NEVER be far away and I’d be praying and thinking about her all day. I finally got her out the door with her hippo heating bad for her hurting tummy and in the car we prayed. We prayed for God to turn all the mess around and make Lilly feel better. We prayed for her class and teacher, and we prayed for above everything to see God in our day and to see and feel His closeness. I began preaching to her and making declarations over her as we pulled into the school. I told her how special she was and how God, her heavenly Poppa, had a super special PLAN for her life and that she had to TRUST Him. I told her how infectious her joy was and how her class and people who God puts in her path NEEDS that joy.  I reminded her of all her gifts and how God wants her to USE them, but how if she stayed in the COMFORT of home, it would be hard for God to put those gifts to use. I told her “it was time.”  It was time to be BRAVE and step out and let God use her. I told her that she was made to shine His light. She was made to share the joy of knowing Him. She was made to be a prayer warrior. She was made to declare healing over the people God puts in her path. She was made to be a leader. I assured her God had an amazing plan and that He wouldn’t let her down just to hear Him and obey Him and He would comfort and help her.

When we walked into school we went to the nurse to inform him of her not feeling well. I asked if her teacher was back to which her said no. He said he was reading as we walked in an email from her stating she had strep. My heart sunk. Lilly was still lightly crying and THEN after knowing her teacher wasn’t there REALLY didn’t want to go. The nurse assured me it was ok to take her home, but I really didn’t want to encourage that. I so badly wanted her to be brave and at least TRY. So I assured her if she got ANY worse I would be RIGHT there to get her. Reluctantly she obliged. Her nurse, Mr. Boyd who is AMAZING, let her put her hippo to bed, and we all three walked her to her room. As we were approaching her room a dear friend who is a teacher/leader/employee at the school and a personal friend barges through the doors and says, “LILLY!!!! I am SO HAPPY to see you!!!! Guess what I JUST got? I JUST got a text from your TEACHER saying YOU were not here today and she was REALLY sad.” She gave Lilly the most affectionate embrace and showed her the text and about that second HER TEACHER, who WAS there after all, stuck her head out the door to find us all talking and said, “LILLY!!! I’m so glad you’re here!” Lilly’s whole demeanor changed. Those two angels in those fleeting moments filled her heart with love and assurance. I had to kiss her and walk away because the water works were coming. I was OVERWHELMED at God’s goodness and I cried the whole way to the car. I cried in the car. And I cried all the way to the nearby salon were I parked and just repeatedly thanked Him for His goodness. I had my head on the steering wheel and just praised Him. I told Him that all I wanted was to be close to Him. He could have my whole heart, all my dreams, and the whole day in front of me. I asked Him to let Heaven invade earth through my day and to please let me walk closely with Him carefully following His lead, because NOTHING in life is sweeter. He is near, His Kingdom is HERE, and He wants us to walk in the abundance of His love KNOWING our identity, freedom, inheritance, and peace. It’s ours. It’s ours even though we do not deserve it.

I went in and got my toes done looking for someone to love for Him. Looking for someone to hug or encourage. I got my toes done by this super sweet lady that spoke no English so I gave her love with a tip and I hugged her tight. I left feeling like a new person and decided to walk in to a Rustic Décor place next door to the salon. Shortly after looking around the quiet shop I was about to walk out and decided to speak to the sweet girl at the desk. She began telling me how working there was new and the story behind beginning the job. An hour and half later it was VERY CLEAR how God lead me to her. She was in the extremely painful experience of grieving the sudden loss of her mother, and as most of you know I had a story to tell. Actually, GOD had a story to tell her. I just had to be willing. I shared HOPE and I shared what God had been teaching me. SEEING God in this WHOLE conversation brought her to tears. We were both in AWE. It was unbelievable.

I left feeling like I needed to pinch myself. The whole morning was not anything as I would have planned and was I ever SO THANKFUL. When you invite Him into every moment and are willing to surrender your plans and comfort and routines…. You get to see the Kingdom in living color. I can’t even type these words with crying tears of gratitude.

The rest of the day even though it was flowing different than I planned… I KNEW it was going to be ok. Chores would eventually get done, and dinner would be perfect. A situation arouse at home where the girls and I prayed and AGAIN  and saw God’s peace and answer. He NEVER leaves us. EVER.  Even when we don’t see Him if we turn our attention to Him and “walk in faith” we can rest assured that HE SEES US and is working on our behalf. As the sun set on our evening my heart was singing songs of thankfulness. And this is what He wants our EVERY DAY to look like! He wants us to know the JOY and LOVE of walking intimately with Him TRUSTING Him with the ever so seemingly small details. Nothing about our lives is small to Him.

As I was thinking about what I KNOW was the Holy Spirit encouraging Lilly on the way to school, it hit me that those words were FOR ME too. The Holy Spirit was breathing words of encouragement through me AND TO me. As I embark on an adventure to work part time in a preschool, my sweet Father was saying, “Go. Be BRAVE. It’s TIME. I have a plan. I’ve shown you My hand in it. There are people who NEED the gifts I’ve given you. There are people your meant to meet. There are people who YOU need. There are paths that are going to cross. But FIRST… You must TRUST me with ALL your heart and get out of your comfort and GO.”

He NEVER ceases to AMAZE me. He gives me over flowing JOY even in the midst of chaos.