What Wonders God Can Do When We Get Out of His Way!

God amazes me. 

This short little story is NOT about me and what I did, but about what God did.  Please know that up front.

My husband and I had decided to take the kids to the beach for a short "end-of-summer-almost-time-for-school-to-start" trip.  We had saved up a little money and had a couple free nights in a hotel saved up, so decided to hit Galveston beach!

In the true style of being a teacher's wife, I had found as many ways to save money as I could and one of those ways was to bring some meals!  I had carted all the various "lunch-making necessities" all the way from home and the first day we were there, I walked up to the hotel from the beach to make lunch for my hungry crew. After making the requisite number of sandwiches and bringing the picnic basket of fruit, chips, cookies etc back down to the beach, we settled in under our "garden awning" to have a nice lunch.  (Side note: If the box says "garden awning," stick with the garden.  The beach winds will destroy the awning, break all the legs and fall on your head.)

It was JUST as I sat down that I felt this overwhelming urge.  Nope - not that.  I had visited the facilities when I went up to the room!

I suddenly had this strong, overwhelming thought that I should make lunch for a man on the beach.  Not just any man, but one I had seen arrive earlier.  He had biked in and set up a rather old looking umbrella and lay down to nap on the beach.

I sat there a moment, wondering where this idea was coming from and the more I sat, the more I knew.   I was comfortable and ready to enjoy lunch with my family, but the need to get up and make this man lunch was WAY bigger than the need for anything else.  I looked at my husband and said, pointing across the beach, "I'll be back. God wants me to make that man lunch."

Now, the beautiful thing about my husband at that moment was...he simply said "ok."  He didn't question, he didn't chuckle, he didn't flinch.  I, on the other hand, was a bit perplexed.  I was thinking to myself that I didn't KNOW the man, his situation, whether he needed anything, etc.  I questioned whether I might even offend him.   But the feeling became so overwhelming, I could do nothing else.  I kind of think this is where God was shouting at me to get moving.  So, I did.

When I came back down to the beach, my husband and kids were playing in the waves.  I realized, nervously, that I would have to go over alone.  I set my keys and shoes down at our place and begin trying to figure out what I was going to say to this man-I-didn't-know as I walked up with a plate of food.  Those who know me would agree, I am a "preparer."  I like to know what I'm going to do, where I'm going to be and most of all, what I'm going to say.  I even rehearse sometimes.  But God had other plans...and I found myself walking towards the man.

Even as I was walking, I was thinking, "But what will I say?"  and my feet kept moving.  Looking back, that was one of the biggest surreal God moments to me - that I fought that hesitation and discomfort and let Him guide me.  

As I walked over, the man had stood up and was trying to adjust his umbrella, to no avail.  When I was within earshot, I simply said (wait for it....this is the best speech ever known to man!....) "I brought you some food."  (I know.  BRILLIANT, clever, deep, thought-provoking words, no?)

He looked at the plate and up at me and said simply, "Well, I sure could use it."

I smiled and said that I believed that God had asked me to bring this to him (am I really telling a stranger about God talking to me and telling me to do things?!  Comfort zone #3 busted!) and that I was a "gal who tried to do what God wanted her to."   

He then turned and reached into his bike basket and answered every question in my mind and erased every hesitation in my heart as he pulled out an absolutely BEAUTIFUL cross, handwoven out of palm fronds. He handed it to me and I humbly took it and complimented his work.  I introduced myself and learned that his name was Edward.  I thanked him profusely for the beautiful gift and wished him well.

I went and sat down in my beach chair and cried.

I'm not sure I've ever had a clearer affirmation from God as that moment.  God had used me to bless Edward, but even more, I'm learning, blessed ME by allowing me to work for Him.  He allowed me, His child, to meet another one of His children and see just a glimpse into that child's soul.  To look at the handiwork in the cross that Edward made, I could only imagine how long it took him to make - much longer than it took to make a sandwich.  To see  each of the roses at the center, I could imagine the painstaking work that went into creating this thing of beauty.

I cried from amazement, humility, compassion, and most of all, awe that my Heavenly Father had taken the time to give me this beautiful lesson.    

I often wonder why on that day, in that moment, in that place, God's voice was SO CLEAR to me what He wanted me to do.  I always WANT to do what God wants of me, but am rarely as certain as I was in that moment.  What kinds of things could I do in this world for our Lord if I could learn to listen like I did in that moment?  What kind of world would we live in if we could ALL hear God's call in our every waking moment and obey?

As I said at the beginning of this story, this is not about me.  This is about God's call on our lives and what He can do when we get out of his way and let Him work.   I am including a picture of Edward's beautiful gift to me - and hoping that God's even better gift to all of us reaches you today!

Blessings,
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