The dreaded man-cold made a quick exit around here; thank God. He was ”fine” by night time so not sure what was going on with him, but I'm glad it didn’t last. No one is sick here, but I keep hearing about so many who are! I am so flu paranoid. I don’t want to be sick first of all, but also I couldn’t be around the grand boys either. Stay healthy and wash your hands out there!
I want to share with you a few things that happened when we were in Nevis a few weeks ago. My word(s) this year is Divine Appointment and it's also the the theme of the writers' conference I am leading this year.
Has this prompted me to be more aware of what or whom God places in front of me? Possibly. I do know that this awareness has turned on some sort of internal radar in me.
Divine Appointments on this trip were abundant.
First of all, I got to know some amazing women of God on this trip. Sometimes it's hard on business trips to know if others will be comfortable with you sharing your faith, but with this group it became apparent immediately that we shared a common bond in the Lord. It made the trip an even bigger blessing and I plan on keeping up with these sweet women of God.
There wasn’t much to do on this island (aka shopping) except for one little place you could walk to on the beach. Went there twice. Then there was this place called Banana's Boutique that my friend Marcy had a lead on. We grabbed a taxi for the short ride there and after our driver, Cavella, dropped us off she agreed to wait for us. We shopped and checked out this quaint little boutique high up in the hills while Cavella took a nap. We returned to the van and when we climbed in, Cavella asked if she could pray with us.
She asked because on the way to our destination, her conversation with Marcy had been about praying for our children. So she did. In her beautiful island accent, we held hands with her and she prayed for all our children. It was a beautiful moment. It was kind of surreal, we were high up in the jungle on this little island. All you could hear were the birds, the swishing sound that only palm trees make, and the sound of her soft voice.
Towards the end of virtually any trip, I start to get anxious about being gone from home. First and foremost on my mind are my kids and grand boys. I felt a peace in that circle of prayer that stayed with me until I got home. Thank you, Cavella.
"And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." -Matthew 18:20
That is what Scripture tells us and it was so true in this moment. Thank you, Cavella.
On a catamaran, I had a lovely conversation about God's love for us with my new friend, Jen. I may not have snorkeled (sea creatures freak me out,) but I was enlightened and blessed by our conversation. I used to have a hard time on these things. The rum punch is being served usually before we leave the dock. I can truly say it never bothered me in the least that day. God had something better, lasting, for me that day. For both of us.
On the way home from Nevis, I got stuck in Chicago overnight by myself as Craig had gone on to Houston for work. After many cancelled flights, I finally ended up getting out of Chicago around 4:30 the next afternoon. I was ok in my hotel directly across from the Chicago Premium Outlets. Let’s just say I made the best of the situation… Anyway finally in my seat, which I did not choose (I was just happy to have one) a woman sat down next to me and we began talking immediately. I thought to myself, “God, what do you have in store for me this time?”
My new friend, Rebecca, and I got to know each other quickly. She started Clara’s Cookies - Protein with a Purpose. Her story was so inspiring. It stemmed from her family's walk in adoption. Her company is a non-profit with the profits going to different adoption causes. She was on her way back from a speaking engagement and shared her story with me. I would recommend you go to her website and check this out. She was so inspiring! On top of that, we talked about different opportunities to grow her business, running tips for me in my 1/2 marathon training (she’s completed seven Ironman’s!) Best tip she gave me? Memorizing scripture while she runs. She carries a laminated card with her to refer to on her runs. Knocking down those miles one at a time with scripture.
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17
I love to hear what God is doing in people's lives and he is definitely using Rebecca to do some kingdom work. I learned so much from her in our short flight from Chicago to Grand Rapids!
As I reflected later that night in the quiet of my home, I wrote down all the takeaways I'd been blessed with. These Divine Appointments this past week. There were more than what I realized and it made me wonder. Did anyone walk away from me thanking God for a divine appointment with me? How did God use me?
“It’s not so much the journey that’s important; as is the way that we treat those we encounter and those around us, along the way.” - Jeremy Aldana
I hope so but I can’t know for sure. I do know this. If I live the life he has called me to I will be a blessing to others. In the pit, as I like to call my drinking days, there was not an opportunity to honor God in anything I did. Sometimes I have the frantic feeling that I have time to make up from all the years I was lost. Then I tell myself I wasn’t lost. I was wandering. The wandering was part of the journey I had to go on and actually I am still on it. That’s the beauty of it. The journey is not wasted, it is necessary for us to get to our destination. To be who he is calling us to be.
I’m not wandering anymore. Sometimes I take a detour, it delays. The path I need to stay on is obvious.
I’m going to follow it.
Peace on your weekend,
Sherry