2 September 2020
Have you ever run late? Thought you had set the alarm for 7am and after waking late and checking on why the alarm did not ‘work’ found you had set it for 7pm! Or is that just me?
It frustrates me so much for I am quite an organized person. Not to the extreme, for I have also been gifted with a flexibility to adjust when things, people, events don’t necessarily go to plan.
This particular day though I was frustrated with myself all morning. I had to readjust so many activities I was going to complete. I had to reprioritise my list of jobs. Oh, the frustration!
It was in this frame of mind, rushing to Officeworks that God stopped me in my tracks.
Literally.
I had grabbed the new printer ink off the wall and was walking quickly to the front counter when I got waylaid by an old gentleman. He was walking oh so slowly down the aisle, stopping me in my tracks. The aisle was not big enough for me to get around him. Can you visualise this? Oh, another delay I thought. Another thing to make me even later.
Then the man turned and smiled at me. His smile and manner literally dazzled me. This old man apologized for his “slowness”, stated how much he wished he could move faster but alas not now since a hip operation. I felt immediately my frustration fall away. My attitude changed. My heart was engaged and open and now I could feel the grace God was wanting to pour into me through this man.
My spirit whispered, ‘aah.’
I was then a little angry with myself. I had let my frustration of the morning out on everyone.
Woah to anyone who had got in my path earlier in the morning!
A line of scripture went through my head, “His mercies are new every morning.” I definitely needed God’s mercy that morning. And it came through an old man.
Are we open to hearing God speak to us? Speak to us where we are at. Speak to us through our frustrations of life, through the disappointments, through the hurts, through our anger, through our depression, through our……?
In Lamentations in the Old Testament, where this scripture comes from, it talks about situations that the author had been in, in which they remembered how the only help, the only HOPE that came was from God.
19-21 I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
Lamentations 3:19-24
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.
How merciful was God to me! He did not want me to stay frustrated. You may think it is just a simple thing, but God did not want my attitude to flow over into all that I did, all who I met that day. It made me realise more and more that God cares about even the little things about me. He cares about the minute, the small, the little. He just cares!
It makes me love Him more, to be grateful to Him more.
That man in Officeworks was a blessing from the Lord.
Maybe that day I had been talking to an angel, a messenger from God?
I don’t know. But I got the message.
May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’
Love
Rosemary
Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Has God ever stopped you in your tracks?
What has God said at this moment?
Have you allowed it to change your attitude, your way of behaviour, your thoughts?
3 Comments
KAYE MAREE JOSEPHS
I’m feeling low at the moment and want you to know how much your jottings help me through.
Reminding me He is there, all around. God Bless you.
Valerie Simms
Thank you Rosemary for your encouraging words and sharing your life’s mishaps and blessings with us. I also had a day
when I too was running late. I had caught the train and took out a book to read as i had no time to read it at home this morning.
I continued to read in the elevator and right up till I was facing the ticket gates. i looked down at my hands and realised I no longer
had my opal card! i thought to myself did it I drop it in the train? Oh Lord how am I going to get out of the train station and catch the bus without getting to the location where I volunteer on time?
Just at that moment, a lady was entering through an open gate while swiping her card. I quickly darted through the gate and thought
what great timing! When I got to the bus stop. It dawned on me I can’t catch the bus without my Opal card!!! I looked at the time when the bus would be coming. 15 minutes. A thought popped up in my head to go back and see if instead of dropping the card on the train, I may have dropped it inside the station. At the same time I was quickly praying, that the train attendant would be there and that he would permit me to have a look. He was and he did give me permission. Another thought came up what if someone saw it and took it?
That’s when I asked the Lord to send His angels to help me. As i got out of the elevator I noticed something was just not right. Nothing looked familiar here and that’s because I went down to the wrong platform! I looked across and saw the platform I should have gone and it was there while I was looking, my eye caught something white on the ground. I quickly got into the elevator that I came down in and went up. Got out of the lift running across to the other elevator and went down hoping and praying that what i saw was my Opal card. And it was!!! I got into the elevator, went up and came out, with my card in my hand, waving towards the train attendant saying,
” The Angels are looking after me!” He let me through with his mouth open. Then another thought popped in my head. What did i do with my umbrella?!!! I bought a large red umbrella so that i wouldn’t leave it on the train or bus as i had in the past with my other umbrellas. Then I remembered I left it at the bus stop!!! Fat chance I thought it would be still there. Someone must have taken it by now. No!!! There it was where I left it and I didn’t miss my bus!!! I thanked the Lord all the way there and couldn’t contain myself to share these small miraculous mishaps that morning to whoever would listen!
Valerie Simms
Sorry Rosemary I have a correction I would like to make concerning the email I just sent. The train attendant didn’t just let me
through when i found the Opal card. I decided it was the right thing to do that I tap out for the time when i had gone through before
without doing so. I notice that it is often when I do what is not right the Holy Spirit convicts me. This is a small example. The other day my husband and I went out for a coffee. We both had chewing gums in our mouths. We noticed there were rubbish bins out on the paths ready to be emptied. My husband opened the lid of one of them and dropped his chewing gum inside, he also did the same for mine after I asked him. It’s while we were walking away that I noticed we had placed them in the recycling bin. My husband dismissed the problem as he had decided it was of no importance. But for me it continued to stay in my conscience. After finishing our coffee, hot chocolate and muffins, we were heading towards the path where the bins were I decided to take the chewing gums out of the wrong bin and place them inside a rubbish bag in the right bin. Why did I do that? I thought if I really am concerned about taking care of creation that God has entrusted us then my actions need to convey this. If I can’t manage to do the right thing by God, people and nature in small things, how am I going to manage when bigger issues arise and come my way?
I also want to thank You and Bruce for the encouragement, the contact, the support and prayers you give to many around the globe including myself! Especially in this difficult period we are all facing!!! God bless you both !!!