Unexpected Blessing

Do you ever feel disappointed by circumstances or people in your life? If you’re like me, you’ve had to chew your expectations up and spit them out…which can leave a bitter aftertaste. But here’s what I’m realizing: yes disappointment happens, but many times God blesses us through unexpected sources and in unusual ways. It may not be from the people, or in the timing, or in the way we thought it should be…but it will come…and it ends up being much better than we could have ever dreamed. God has blessings just for you, and His plan is to bless you, not to harm you, and to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11).

Water From A Rock

As I was thinking about all of this, God highlighted Exodus 17 to me. The Israelites were angry and complaining because God (through Moses) had led them to a place with no water. Please keep in mind: God had parted the Red Sea for their escape from slavery, wiped out their enemies, provided manna daily and was leading them…miracle by miracle…to their promised land!

Nevertheless, the Israelites were disappointed. So Moses cried out to God for water, and God provided unexpectedly by giving them water from a rock!

This passage of scripture shows me that I have a choice:

1) Trust God and preemptively give Him thanksgiving and praise and receive His blessings in His way and in His timing OR

 2) Be fearful and grumble and complain because it didn’t come when, where, and how I wanted it to.

But if I’m being really honest, choosing #1 is not an easy thing to do. But it is easy to look at the Israelites and think, “How could they be so selfish and unappreciative?” However when it’s my own life, it’s a different story. In fact, if I had been one of those Israelites, I might have asked, “Why God? You can do anything! Why would you lead us to a land with no water?”  But God is showing me that I will have more joy and peace if I will stop trying to figure out why and instead just trust Him.

His ways are higher than my ways. Isaiah 55:9

You might be asking, “But should I just always ‘let it go’ when I’m disappointed?” No. I have learned the hard way that I should lovingly communicate and ask for what I need. “Stuffing” how we feel is not healthy. Our Father God wants us to pour out our heart to Him. But we can do this with praise on our lips and faith in our heart. And there are situations (when other people are involved) where we need to lovingly communicate our needs to them, but some people just don’t have it to give.
Ultimately God’s love has to be our source of “living water.” For more about this please see http://www.carolynhill.net/5-reasons-need-recharge-jesus/

Another Confirmation

The day God was downloading these thoughts on me, I had a lunch date with my friend Sara. She shared with me a story that completely confirmed what God was showing me. He wanted me to realize that He will never leave me or forsake me. His blessings come in ways we just wouldn’t expect. Sara’s story from her friend Esther says it so well:

“Since my parents passed, we don’t have a “spoiling Grampy figure” in my kiddos lives, you know what I mean. The one who slips his Grands some chocolate or snacks from his stash by his recliner, or who gives them all a dollar here or there just for a small treat at the store, I miss that. It’s something I didn’t realize I would miss so bad for them. I had that, and it always made me feel so loved as a small child. It was just that simple love gesture.

I wasn’t planning to go grocery shopping with my 5 kids, but changed the menu last minute, and went to get the new items I needed. Little did I know that God had already predestined “a special love note” from Him to me, just to prove He’s taking care of us, even down to the smallest details.

Here it is: We slowly walked into Walmart and I noticed a sweet old man sitting on the bench near the entrance. I was busy handling “Big Blue.” You know, the giant kids buggy you can’t miss because it can’t take corners and it’s a mile long!? Well, I had stopped in the produce aisle to sanitize Big Blue and to buckle in the babies, when out of the corner of my eye did I see this old man with his cane come walking up to me. And this is what he said,”The Lord spoke to me when you walked by and told me to give each of your kids $5.”
I stood there shocked and surprised and literally tears started falling down my face. And he jokingly asked “Did you already know about this?” And I laughed and said “No, it’s just that these kids don’t have grandparents anymore on my side, and I was just telling the Lord I missed that about my parents. You know the small gestures done out of love, not need or want!”

I told him I couldn’t take his money but that his gift was a sign to me from the Lord. He of course insisted, and talked about how faithful the Lord has been to him all these years, and how He loved when God used his money and called him on an assignment. And how “it was all the Lords anyhow and how I’d let him lose his blessing.” I just stood there in tears because it all sounded like my Dad was standing there talking to me. He is 91 years old, a veteran, and he wants to be a blessing wherever he goes. He’s in “great health” he said the VA told him, and he loves the Lord. He wasn’t going to leave until I took the money, and so I told him it wasn’t out of need that I’d take it, but because I knew this was a message from the Lord to me. And then he had tears, and I had tears because we both know how the Lord was working here, and It was Beautiful.

My kids were thrilled, of course, to have 5 whole dollars to their name to spend as they wished, and I walked away still crying tears of love for the Lord-who was whispering in my ear; “See Esther, I’m gonna take care of you and those babies down to the smallest detail, surely you Believe me now?”

I felt so sheepish once again to be putting my Lord in a box. Yes, He’ll take care of us. I don’t know why I was having a silly pity party when that whole time He’s whispering to me “oh child, I got ya’ll. Don’t forget all I’ve done thus far!”

As I write, again I am crying for the gratefulness my heart feels from the Lord. He’s a good good Father. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest impact.” (Esther Hedlund- Lowery)

Wow. I felt so encouraged. Through every trial, disappointment, and fear God will never leave us or forsake us. We can cry out to Him for His living water and He will fill us. After all, He can make water flow from a rock! With God we can expect the unexpected blessings and He will never let us down.

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
   forever.
For encouragement on being that blessing for others please read http://www.carolynhill.net/wal-mart-parking-lot-new-favorite-place-go/