I’d like to share a time
when I heard that voice speak to me and I said, “No.”
In 2004, I was blessed by
having a home built. I had owned houses in the past, but never had one designed
and built from the ground up. It was very exciting getting to choose
everything; cabinets, tile, countertops, shutters...you name it, I got to pick
it out. I was extremely cool to watch progress of my home being built.
I loved that house. With a
passion!!
A couple years later I
became ill and unable to work. Within six (6) months of me becoming ill my
husband got laid off from his job. Talk about stressing out over money! We had
a new house with a big mortgage payment, new vehicles with big payments and my
only child was about to graduate from high school so the expense of senior pictures,
cap and gown, and announcements were just around the corner.
My world was spiraling out
of control so fast I thought my head was going to pop off like a dandelion. Yet,
I kept it all a big secret. How embarrassed I would be if anyone found out we
couldn’t pay our bills.
Have you ever told your
kids you can’t afford something? And seriously meant it?! I can’t tell you how
many times in my son’s life I told him we couldn’t afford something. Yet,
somehow we always seemed to be able to get it. Maybe not that day, but we got
it.
The time had come to tell
my son he couldn’t have professional senior pictures done because we couldn’t
afford it. Nor could he have graduation announcements because we couldn’t
afford those either. I dreaded having to speak those words to him knowing this
time we really couldn’t afford it. Would he think I was crying wolf, yet again?
There was no crying wolf.
This was real. We were flat broke and could NOT afford those things. The day I
told him, he took it like a champ. He knew. Deep in his heart he knew I was
telling the truth. Oh, the tears that were shed.
He didn’t get professional
pictures taken. I took them. He didn’t get to order the graduation
announcements that everyone else ordered. I made his with the help of a friend.
The only thing I couldn’t skimp on was the cost of his cap and gown. There was
just no way around having that expense.
I felt so guilty that he
had to suffer due to our circumstances. I decided that there was no way that
child wasn’t going to have a least a little graduation party. So, I gathered
most of my jewelry and sold it for cash. That cash was used to have a very,
very, small graduation party with a few of our closest friends.
Of course, he received a
nice chunk of cash as graduation gifts and he decided he would put that cash
towards his college expense. So I told him I’d put the cash up. And I did. But,
I didn’t put it in the bank. I put it in a special hiding spot.
Two months later we lost
our house due to foreclosure. We went from a 3,000 square foot house to a 950
square foot apartment. Then we lost our vehicles. We went from a family with
two cars to a family with one. (This was just before the economy took that
horrible turn about six years ago). I was so bitter about it all. I just didn’t
understand why God allowed it to happen.
One afternoon we were
invited to lunch by a friend from church that wanted to help us get set up to
try to get back on our feet financially. Even though we were invited to lunch I
wanted to make sure that of our friend didn’t pay for our lunch I would have
money in hand to pay for our lunch. So…I tapped into that special hiding place
that held the money that did not belong to me. My reasoning was “Just in case.”
So we went to lunch with
our friend.
Have you ever been out
somewhere and someone caught your attention and for the life of you, you couldn’t
take your eyes off them or stop watching them? That’s exactly what happened to
me this day.
As our friend was talking,
these four ladies came into the restaurant. They sat down and one minute they
were laughing together and the next they were crying. As I watched, their food
arrived and they bowed their heads and prayed. I kept hoping they wouldn’t see
me staring at them. I was so engrossed with watching them I heard nothing my
friend was saying. Then all the sudden I heard, “Pay for their lunch.” I looked
at my friend and said, “What? No. I can’t afford to pay for their lunch.” He
looked at me and said, “What are you talking about?” And I replied, “You just
told me to pay for their lunch.” He said, “No. No, I didn’t. You must be
hearing things.”
Boy! Talk about being embarrassed.
Then I heard, “Pay for their lunch” again. This time I silently, to myself,
said, “No. I can’t.” And the soft voice said, “Yes, you can. You have $100 in your
pocket. Now go over to their table and pay for their lunch.” Again, to myself,
I said, “No.” And the voice was stern this time. “GO!”
I’ve heard voices in my
head before, but that’s because I’m a bit crazy as it is. And I was truly beginning
to think I was going off the deep end this day.
However, I stood up, discretely
took the $100 bill out of my pocket and held it in my hand, excused myself from
our table and walked over to their table. I
had no idea what I was going to say or even where to begin, but to this day I
vividly remember the entire conversation.
I squatted next to their
table and said, “Excuse me ladies for interrupting
your lunch, but I’m trying to learn to be an obedient child of the Holy Spirit
and I was told to come to your table.”
All four women began to
cry. And then one lady spoke as she was fighting back her tears.
“First, thank you for being an obedient child of
God. Without a doubt you were sent to us. We are family. These are my sisters
and this is my mother. You see, my sister here has been fighting an illness
that has made her unable to work. Her husband lost his job a year ago and they
are about to lose their house. She has lost all faith in God and we had to
force her to come to lunch with us today. We just prayed and ask God to send an
angel so she would know He loves her and has a bigger plan for her and her
family.”
I was breathless! Sobbing, I took my hand and placed the $100 in the
hand of the sister that had been talking. I then reached my hand over to the
sister she was talking about and grabbed her hand. Through my sobs I gently
said, “Oh my dear sister. He so loves you so very much. I say this because…I
have an illness that took my ability to work away two years ago. My husband got
laid off from his job about a year ago and we recently lost everything. My
dream house, vehicles, savings…everything. I was told to come to your table and
pay for your lunch. But, I wasn’t immediately obedient. I argued with the
Spirit because the money I had in my pocket wasn’t mine. I took it out of my
sons graduation money and if I paid for your lunch I had no idea how I would
replace it. But, I’m here to tell you that God loves you and He has not given
up on you nor has he forsaken you.”
She was sobbing
uncontrollably. Her sister then ask if I would be so kind to take my picture
with the sister I just spoke to, so they could print it out and she would
always have it to remember the angel God sent her. I agreed. When it was all
said and done we all embraced in a hug. During that hug the mother spoke and
ask me my name. I winked and said, “You can call me Angel.”
We all wish to be used for
God’s glory. Yet, many times we don’t listen to the voice that’s trying to
teach us to be obedient. We choose to argue back or ignore.
All the bitterness I had
been holding on to, over losing “material” possessions, was released that day. And, it’s
never returned. But, had I not obeyed the voice there‘s no telling where my
heart and mind would be today. Would I be on a walk with Christ? Would I be
writing? Would I be working with youth at church? I don’t know those answers,
but one thing I do know…when I hear that voice….I’m a “yes” girl and I obey!
And, that $100 has been multiplied
many, many times over.
So, if you ever hear that voice.....Be obedient and don't say "No" because the Holy Spirit is about to use you to minister to someone else and glorify God.
Psalms 103:20
Angels, praise the Lord! You
angels are the powerful soldiers who obey His commands. You listen and obey.
1 Thessalonians 5:19
Don’t stop the work of the
Holy Spirit.
Luke 12:12
The Holy Spirit will teach
you at that time what you should say.
Blessings,
Bo
02/20/2014
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