This week at The King's Daughter's Support Groups we ended the meetings with the commitment to pray that God would reveal His love to us in a very special way that we could recognize and understand. That was Monday and Tuesday. This is only Friday, and already I am speechless at the ways He is answering this prayer for me personally.
First of all, my mom, who is 84 years old and has never acknowledged the fact that almost my entire childhood was a horror story of abuse, for the very first time last night, instead of denial, told me that she was sorry. She apologized over and over. I cannot explain what that felt like for me to hear those words after all these years. (Earlier this week I had asked some ladies to pray that my mom would recognize the truth, and quite honestly, I was not expecting an answer so quickly). Not only did that conversation happen, but when I suggested to her that we meet together and do the study questions from Becky Harling's book,"Rewriting Your Emotional Script," she agreed. We even met at Walmart today and bought journals so we could record our answers! You would have to know my mother to know what a miracle this truly is! I am in awe. And she seemed like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders.
While at Walmart this afternoon, another amazing event happened that clearly showed me how God pursues us, trying so hard to get us to understand the depth of His love for us. Maybe God works a lot at Walmart! Anyway, this past Christmas I had been shopping, and as I was leaving the store the lady who checks receipts stopped me and asked to see mine. I opened my little change purse to get the receipt, and she commented on how she loved my little purse. So I proceeded to tell her that I design and make one-of-a-kind purses. Then, in the depth of my heart, I knew I was supposed to give her one. So I told her that I would make one for her, and asked what type of print she wanted. She said she liked flowers, and that she actually worked in the garden department, but for some reason that night they had put her at the door. She asked the price, and I told her, but insisted that it would be a gift, and she insisted that she would pay me.
The next day I went back to Walmart with her little flower change purse, all gift wrapped. I couldn't find her anywhere, and finally asked at the fitting room area if they could have her paged. I waited. She didn't appear. So they paged her again. A few moments later I could see her in the distance, hurrying down the isle, a noticeable limp on one leg, a worried look on her face. I met her before she got to the fitting room area. She explained that she didn't know why they were paging her or what she had done wrong. I quickly told her that I had asked them to page her and was sorry for upsetting her. I then handed her the gift bag with the change purse. Tears began to well up in her eyes and then spill down her face. I told her that God loved her, and that no matter what she was going through, He wanted her to know that she was precious to Him. I had no idea if she even believed in God. But that is what I felt to tell her at that moment. She stood sobbing and speechless, and then wiped her face and thanked me. I left Walmart that day with the most incredible sense of well-being.
That was December. I have been in and out of Walmart a hundred times since then, never seeing her again. But today, for some reason I thought I would enter through the garden department and see if she was there. And she was at the register! I could see she was busy, so I met my mom, bought the journals, and decided to pay at the garden register on my way out. As I approached, she appeared to be really struggling emotionally and physically. Maybe she has Parkinson's, because she was shaking. She looked at me strangely, almost as if embarrassed, so I asked if she remembered me. She said she certainly did, and that she loved her little purse. Then she asked,"What is your name again?" and I told her. "That's what I thought." she replied. "We were just talking about you the other day." I waited for her to clarify. "You don't know me, but many years ago, my husband did some plumbing for you. We were in a desperate situation, and you and your husband gave us your car." I just couldn't believe it! In 1994, a plumber had come to work on a new addition we were putting on our house and had told us his very sad story. We were planning on trading our car for a new one, but felt so strongly that God had told us to give our car to the plumber instead, and so we had, even though that was a sacrifice for us at the time. But we never lacked a car since that day. And today, nearly 20 years later, I find out that the woman I had given the purse to just a few months ago was his wife! Again, she stood in Walmart trying to subdue the tears that were forming. I excitedly hugged her. I don't know what the other people waiting in line thought. But it didn't matter. God was pursuing this family with His love and allowing me to be a part of it all. Of all the people in Walmart I could have chosen to give a gift to, and God put her on my heart!
I left Walmart today almost skipping. If God could pursue this woman in this manner over a period of so many years to assure her that she was loved, cared, and provided for, then He was also pursuing me!
And you!
"And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1John 4:10
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