I think that I will never cease to be amazed at just how much of my day is controlled and in the hands of the Father. If only I could be aware of it continuously.
I woke up this morning, made a cup of coffee, and went to post "Bad Attitude." From there I made my way to the barn for morning chores where I discovered what looked like an oozing puncher wound on my horse. My thoughts were, this is going to be expensive, and I am going to miss work, making it double expensive.
Isn't it just like God to immediately challenge our character immediately after we think we are getting it right. So rather than get angry, and absorbed in self-pity I stopped for a moment and tried to become aware of God in it all.
The vet didn't open until 8:30am, so for the next hour and half I got dressed, hooked up the trailer, had some breakfast, and called the office to let them know I was going to be late.
Finally reaching the vet I found out they could not see me until 11:30am. Great, I thought. This is going to ruin the whole day.
So about 10:00am I started towards the vet. Maybe the vet would be done with her emergency and get to my horse early. On the way my daughter called from New York. This made me have to pull over so I could look something up for her on my phone. As a sat there a woman walked up to my widow carrying two garbage bags full of clothes. I rolled down my window and she said the bags were hurting her hands, and could I give her and her "play mama" a ride down the street.
Her name turned out to be Raneesha and she was homeless. Her "play mama" was a lady who had taken her in the night before. The bags of clothes "were given to Raneesha by someone." (More on this in a moment). So I loaded their stuff in the back of my truck and Reneesha said, "hold on, I have some other stuff." She runs around the corner and comes back with two more garbage bags of something and a red blanket.
The two ladies get in my truck and as we pull off. As I looked in my rear view mirror, I realized "who" had made the generous donation to Raneesha. In the area where Raneesha had run to was a Goodwill Donation box. Had I just helped her rob a donation box? Hope not... but funny none the less.
Now today it is a little cold. My temp gauge in the truck was showing 36 degrees. Significant because we had not made it out of the parking lot and already I was overwhelmed by the stench. I wonder if Raneesha new I was hanging my head out the window at her admission of having not changed her clothes in a few days. Tears began to form in my eyes. Not from compassion, but from the cold air hitting my eyes at 50 mph. I could do nothing but hope and pray the clothes "donated" would fit her.
So Raneesha and "play mama" made it to the drop off. A good God diversion to the morning, and satisfying that my day of expensive unscheduled time off was being used for His glory. I made my way towards the vet's office. Killing time I pulled in to the gas station to fill up.
As I waited for the truck to engulf another $125 in diesel the phone rang. It was the Vet's office. They had another emergency and would not be able to see my horse until 2:00pm. OMG... help me Lord. What is the deal? I feel like a bad episode of Hee Haw. For those of you not old enough to remember they had a skit with a song that went, "if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all..."
So I sat there. Intent on not getting mad, but trying to understand that if God does not want me at work then I need to not worry about it. I struggled to dig into my spirit and be aware He is there. It was then I saw an old friend go inside the store. And it came to me. I did his mortgage a few years back. So I got out of the truck and met him on his way back to his car. Small talk, pleasantries, politics, and here I had a possible refinance customer.
Haven't gotten the deal as of writing this, but isn't that just like God. Interrupted my day for Raneesha, for someone to show her the love of God. Then presents some "daily bread" in the travels.
I am amazed.
I did make it to work, the horse did go to the vet at 4:00pm. That was $378 of pleasantries. But it all worked in the end. And worked better than I could have ever planned as it was a day in the presence of God.
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