Preface: I am a Christian and this will be a Christian
post. If you are not a Christian, I
really wish you would read it anyway.
Good food for thought.
***************
Do
you know what a GOD WINK is? The phrase
was coined by Squire Rushnell in his book WHEN GOD WINKS: HOW THE POWER OF COINCIDENCE GUIDES YOUR LIFE (1) The Godwink Series.
You can buy it on Amazon.
Here
is the definition: An event or personal
experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as
a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a
prayer.
My
personal definition would be something like this: a personal experience that when it happens to
you, you just know it was God. I have
believed in GOD WINKS for quite awhile.
They probably happen everyday but sadly myself and others often just
don’t take the time to recognize them.
But then there are times when something happens, and I know without a
doubt God showed up and showed out:)
Here
is an example of a recent GOD WINK for me.
I was really feeling very down…all this Covid running rampant, the
violence & hatred my country is experiencing, and some personal problems of
friends and family. I woke up that morning feeling a heavy load on my shoulders
and in my heart. I set out for my
morning walk, praying as I went, and all of a sudden a little bunny just hopped
out of the bushes and sat on the side of the road watching me. (We live in a neighborhood and don’t often
see bunnies!) Now this may not seem like
anything to you, but I have a “real thing” for bunnies. My daughter-in-heaven loved and collected
bunny rabbits, and since she left this earth I can never see a bunny without
feeling her presence. That morning I
just stopped and actually talked to that sweet animal, and in my heart I felt
God had sent it to let me know He was with me….GOD WINK😉
I
could write about many other GOD WINK moments I have had, but today I want to
write about my most recent encounter. To
preface my story, let me say that in all that’s been going on I have felt
helpless. I am a “fixer”…when something
goes wrong my gears engage and I go into FIX-IT MODE. (Sometimes I succeed, but often I’m not a
very good repairman repairwoman.)
Needless to say, I haven’t been able to fix anything that’s going on in
our world. (Remember this.) All I’ve known to do is PRAY…and believe me! I have PRAYED & PRAYED &
PRAYED!. (But I digress!)
I
walk most mornings and I “try” to get out early before the heat sets in. However, lately I’ve been getting late starts
(lingering a little too long over morning coffee!) But yesterday, for some reason, I was up and
out the door earlier. (Remember this!)
As
I walk I always pray, and on Wednesdays I spend a little extra time praying for
myself (but that’s a story for another day).
One of the things I spoke to God about yesterday was how helpless I
feel; I want to make things better, but I can’t. So I asked Him to show me how I can help,
show me what I can do. When I arrived
back home, I noticed the recent storm had blown lots of sticks down in our
yard, so I got the golf cart and went to work.
Then I noticed my neighbor’s yard had quite a few also, so I drove over
and got those sticks too. I then drove
to a back corner of the neighborhood where we all put out yard clippings,
limbs, and stuff for the city truck to (eventually) pick up. (Be patient with me…I’m getting there.)
As
I was driving my cart back home I noticed a young black male walking down the
adjacent street with a bookbag on his back.
The high school is down that (long) street and around the corner, and since I know everyone who lives on that street I knew he had to have already walked a long way. As I watched him walk by, all of a sudden I
heard this inner voice say, “Go pick him up & take him to school.” However, that thought barely passed through
my mind, when another thought barreled in…”You don’t know that boy and he
doesn’t know you and you will probably make him feel uncomfortable if you ask
him if he wants a ride.” Sooooo….I
proceeded to drive the cart to my backyard.
But not 5 seconds later that inner voice jumped in again and said,
“Cheryl, go get that boy!” You, of
course, know what I had to do!
I
caught up with this young man and we shared “Good Mornings”; then I asked if he
would like me to give him a ride to school on my cart. Since he looked a little hesitant, I quickly
said, “I live right over there, I’m a retired teacher, and I promise I’m safe. I will be happy to give you a ride if you
like.” The young man smiled and said
“yes, mam” (he got a Brownie point for having good southern manners:) As we began to talk, I learned he was a
senior this year and I congratulated him on that. He asked what grade I taught and I
explained. All the way down the street
we had a wonderful conversation; so much so, I was sorry to have it end. I carried him to the end of the street and
let him off to go the short distance left.
*******
But
there’s one more part to this GOD WINK story….as I was picking up this student,
a white pickup passed us and at the moment it didn’t register that it was
actually my two grandchildren on their way to school. But right then I got a text message. I looked down to read it…it was from my
granddaughter and it said, “you were so nice to pick up that boy.” (Remember this.)
*******
I
drove back home with a smile on my face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in my
heart. And I knew without a doubt I had
just experienced an encounter with God…let me explain.......
Remember,
I had prayed earlier that I felt so helpless.
I also asked God to show me if there were ways I could help. I think God answered my prayer! You see, I have no doubts that God put all
this in place for me. Remember those
things I told you to remember???
1st: God got me up and out earlier than I have
been getting out.
2nd: He put that young man on the road walking at
just the right moment.
3rd: God put on my heart the need to pick up all
those sticks (because if I hadn’t I would have gone straight in the house on my
arrival home and never seen the boy.)
4th: God put that “still small voice” inside me…he
put it there twice in order to push out the negative voice that was also
speaking to me (bet I know who that was!)
5th: He gave me the gumption to go to a stranger
and this boy the gumption to trust a stranger.
6th: And the icing on the cake…God allowed this
situation to be a learning experience (hopefully) for my grandchildren.
Yep! God showed up and showed out! He answered my prayer of helplessness. He showed me that there are things I can do
to help, even though they may be small and even though they don’t remedy all
the hurtful things going on right now.
Hopefully this “African American young man” will understand that an “old
white lady” cared enough for him (no matter that our skin was of different
colors) to help him out and hopefully somehow maybe it will spur him to do a
random act of kindness for someone else.
We never know when we might plant a seed. “What the world needs now is love sweet love,
that’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” Let the love begin with each of us.
I
know God is all around me all the time and I know He hears all my prayers, but
I just love it when GOD WINKS and my heart and mind are open to see those
special moments.
Let’s
all watch more carefully for the GOD WINKS in our lives. They’re there…we just need to open our
eyes…and our hearts.
****************
Since
this blog is often my journal, this part is just something for me.
One
of my former students died yesterday.
She had many major medical issues and then she got Covid and died. I taught Rebecca in 1988/89 in one of my
all-time best second grade classes.
Rebecca never married nor had children but always wanted them. She was an old soul in a young body, and I
loved her dearly. We have kept up with
each other through the years. I have
lost two of my “babies” in this same class now, and my heart is just
broken. So much potential for such young
lives to be lost. Rebecca had been
suffering for awhile, so I am thankful to God that she is now at peace and in
no pain. I love you, Rebecca, and will
remember you always. (P.S., I won’t be
surprised if I see you jumping through the stars and laughing all the way!) Out of my sight, but always in my heart.
*********
Now
a housekeeping issue: My basically new
laptop is a lemon. Tech support via
phone has not helped so now it’s got to be sent off to “hopefully” be repaired
because they won’t give me a new one without extra money. Note to Self:
NEVER BUY ANOTHER DELL LAPTOP…shoulda read lots of reviews first!
Anywho…this
will probably be my last blog post for awhile.
Hopefully the laptop will come back having been resurrected and
hopefully I won’t lose my mind without it (or what's left of it!)
**********
Hug your family close and call or write those you can't hug. We never know what tomorrow might bring. May God bless the United States of America and all its people. And may those who don't know Christ as their savior ask Him to come live in their hearts...then they can hear that still small voice too:)
