Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Even The Small Things



 I am always amazed at how God cares for even the small things in our lives. I remember once during a small group book study we were participating in at church, the leader mentioned that if we pray to find a parking space and one opens up, we shouldn't believe that God orchestrated the event just for us. Why not? He does care about even those small things. I have seen it more times over the past few months than I have perhaps over my entire 29 years in this world. The first time I noticed this when rare (at least to our family) bird species began showing up in our backyard after we began birding. More on this later...

Last Wednesday our family visited Sea World in Orlando. They have a wonderful play area for children with all sorts of carnival-like rides and games. In the very center is a four story rope play area called the Net Climb. This thing really is enormous...it has slides, tunnels and tire swings inside and multiple entrances and exits. Josh took the kids up to play while I sat below on a bench to nurse Lydia. 

After awhile I walked over to meet up with them. I stood for a while underneath it, gazing up into it's stringy bowels. When I couldn't see them I thought maybe JoyAnna chickened out and they left to go on a different ride. So Lydia and I walked all over looking on the other rides. Nope. I walked around for a long time feeling very lost and all alone in the world. Okay, all kidding aside, I was getting upset at this point. I really did not like the idea of being lost at sea...world.

I wished I had brought my cell phone into the park so I could call Josh. Bingo! I'll ask someone if I can borrow their phone to call him! But then I thought about how that conversation might go:

"Excuse me, I lost my family. May I please borrow your phone to call my husband?...No, why would he leave me here intentionally?... Hey, come back!"

I had to think of an alternative. Lydia and I were making our way back toward the Net Climb when a light bulb randomly appeared over my head. (Strange, I know!) And it occurred to me that there was Someone who knew exactly where my family was at that very moment. And all I had to do was ask for help. So I quickly whispered a prayer, "Lord, please help me find them. Thank you for knowing where they are and taking care of them always."

Not more than 3 steps later I heard the sweetest little sound, "I found Mother! Hi, Mother!!"  I looked up to see James standing at the side of the 3rd story in the Net Climb with JoyAnna and Josh crawling through a tunnel just next to him. (For those of you who aren't aware, James has begun calling me 'Mother'. He used to call me 'Mama'. I guess he's too sophisticated to call me that now that he can read.) "Wow, thank You!", I prayed. 

The next morning at breakfast I was talking to James and JoyAnna about how faithful God had been to me at SeaWorld. I told them how even when I didn't know where they were, God did. And He was taking care of them all the time. He planned to have James notice me just after I prayed to say to me, "See, My Child, I love you and listen when you pray." They both were as amazed as I was that God had answered my prayer so directly. When I mentioned it to Josh that night he said, "You know, every time we get separated in a store or when we're out somewhere and I pray, God has always immediately answered by bringing us back together. In fact, I can't remember a time He hasn't." How that has increased my faith. 

So often I think, "This is such a small, insignificant thing. I'm not going to bother God with it." But isn't that really doubt? Aren't I really doubting His kindness and love? 


What amazing love He has for His children! Lord, help me never to forget it, never to doubt it again!

3 comments:

  1. I just read a new blog post by Rhen @yestheyareallmine.com on prayer...she says it all so much better!! Check out this link if you are interested. http://yestheyareallmine.com/2013/01/30/my-favorite-conversations/

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  2. Heather ~ Thanks for the wonderful reminder that God cares about every detail of our life - nothing is too big or too small for Him. (And I am so glad that you were not "Lost at Sea...")

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  3. Thanks, Ronda! Did you notice we have pictures this time to prove that we did actually take the kids to Sea World! ;)

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