Enraptured by glory.
Captured by Love.
Embraced by peace.
Covered by blood.
Enticed by nothing.
Confused by none.
Never alone.
I stand.
I've come to a place with God right now where I am honestly pretty happy. I'm growing and totally on fire. I'm spending time with Him in worship, in prayer, and I'm studying the Word consistently. I can hear His voice again and I love it. The girls that I'm mentoring are growing, I'm pretty settled in my new home, and I'm looking for a job.
Actually, I am working for ACN and you should check out my website!!! http://vip123.acnrep.com However, I'm still looking for a 9-5 type job so I can save some extra money for school.
Back to the relationship with God thing: When it comes to guys and romantic relationships, I have reached this place where I would be happy if it ends up just being me and God and my calling for forever; it would certainly be easier than managing a household in addition to my pursuing my calling. But then if God does have someone for me, I have always been a romantic (I'd say "hopeless romantic", but nothing's really hopeless, right? :]). And I do love kids. If that's what God has in store for me, I think I want like 3 or 4. Haha, actually, not having kids would be kind of weird; but then I know I'll always have my younger siblings and whatever other little kids come into my life. I know this is an area where God gives us choices, but I also know that God has two wills: perfect and permissive. That being the case, I want to follow His perfect will as much as possible. Anyway the point is, I'm seriously ecstatic with whatever God has for me. I like a guy, I don't know if he knows it or not, but I'm happy just being really good friends. And if that's all we ever are, great! Or if something happens there at some point, great! It's in God's hands. I'm in God's hands. And I finally trust Him completely. I've learned some stuff about love in the last year though; I think the biggest lesson-the one that stuck out to me the most-was that love is a choice, not an emotion. We can choose who we love, and w e should. We can't be ruled by our emotions. My pastor preached an amazing sermon about that last week. I'll put the devotion from it up here sometime this week...but it was seriously so powerful. And convicting. I don't know about you, but I know I used to have this habit of letting my emotions lead and control me, rather than me controlling them. Now I control my emotions. I'll admit it's not always easy, and I'm not perfect, but wow. The difference it's made, that it's making. It's extraordinary.
<3
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
This one's preachy...preachy keen. :)
I'm going to attempt to do this blog in 1 minute.
It's following a writing prompt from The One Minute Writer. (http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/2009/01/todays-writing-prompt-teach.html)
Starting...NOW!!!
Bah! My time ran out. Anyway, if I could teach others one thing, that'd be it. (About God's love, the importance of taking every thought captive...and maybe even how to do it.) I challenged the kids in my children's church class to pray every morning this week that God would help them to take every thought captive and help them live the way He wants them to. lol, I used a rock to represent the thought (it's the only thing I had) and explained to them how, kinda like the cartoons, the enemy sometimes whispers things to us. And how we need to take our thoughts captive, because if we don't, pretty soon our thoughts take us captive. And in reality, just like there are two paths to choose in life (God's or Satan's), there are two categories of thought: God's or Satan's. So much time and energy is spent in/by the world to convince us that things aren't black and white. That some areas are gray. That things don't always have to be either/or...they can be both/and. Oh man...I might get a lot of flack for this...but here's an example: The Bible is clear on God's view of homosexuality. It's unholy, unrighteous, and sinful. People who live in that lifestyle will find themselves in Hell unless they repent and change; because, according to the Bible, you can't be both homosexual and Christian. You're either homosexual or Christian.* According to Revelation, we must be either hot or cold; because if we're both hot and cold, we're lukewarm...and God will vomit those who are lukewarm out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) While I'm on the subject of both/and vs either/or: One concept floating around out there that really gets me is: "Both God (Yah-weh) and (insert name of false god/prophet here. i.e. Buddha, Allah, Satan, etc.) are right. There is more than one way to obtain eternal bliss. Everyone can have their own truth. Both your truth is right and my truth is right. The truth is what you make it." While that may be true for some politicians and various others in this world, the Truth for eternity was, is, and always will be the same.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
-Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
-Romans 6:23
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
-John 14:16
"But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
-John 3:16
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock", He's knocking on your heart-loving you with all of His...are you going to answer that?
If you want more information, reading all of Romans 3 is a good idea. Actually, read all of Romans. And while you're reading that letter of Paul's...read all of Paul's writings. His relationship with Jesus was like ours should be, and quite different from the relationship the disciples-who knew Him in the physical world-had. Jesus was able to reveal himself to Paul in a way that the disciples never knew...because when Paul met Him on the road to Damascus, Jesus had been returned to His full glory. Read and you'll understand.
I'm going to attempt to do this blog in 1 minute.
It's following a writing prompt from The One Minute Writer. (http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/2009/01/todays-writing-prompt-teach.html)
Starting...NOW!!!
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
-Philippians 4:8
2 Cor 10:5 talks about taking every thought captive to the authority of Jesus Christ. I think that if we were all able to learn that principle-and not just learn it, but really capture it-this world would be a far better place. And we have the authority to do it too. In Jesus' mighty and holy name. I think it boils down to will power, choices, and truly grasping how much God loves us.
Bah! My time ran out. Anyway, if I could teach others one thing, that'd be it. (About God's love, the importance of taking every thought captive...and maybe even how to do it.) I challenged the kids in my children's church class to pray every morning this week that God would help them to take every thought captive and help them live the way He wants them to. lol, I used a rock to represent the thought (it's the only thing I had) and explained to them how, kinda like the cartoons, the enemy sometimes whispers things to us. And how we need to take our thoughts captive, because if we don't, pretty soon our thoughts take us captive. And in reality, just like there are two paths to choose in life (God's or Satan's), there are two categories of thought: God's or Satan's. So much time and energy is spent in/by the world to convince us that things aren't black and white. That some areas are gray. That things don't always have to be either/or...they can be both/and. Oh man...I might get a lot of flack for this...but here's an example: The Bible is clear on God's view of homosexuality. It's unholy, unrighteous, and sinful. People who live in that lifestyle will find themselves in Hell unless they repent and change; because, according to the Bible, you can't be both homosexual and Christian. You're either homosexual or Christian.* According to Revelation, we must be either hot or cold; because if we're both hot and cold, we're lukewarm...and God will vomit those who are lukewarm out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) While I'm on the subject of both/and vs either/or: One concept floating around out there that really gets me is: "Both God (Yah-weh) and (insert name of false god/prophet here. i.e. Buddha, Allah, Satan, etc.) are right. There is more than one way to obtain eternal bliss. Everyone can have their own truth. Both your truth is right and my truth is right. The truth is what you make it." While that may be true for some politicians and various others in this world, the Truth for eternity was, is, and always will be the same.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
-Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
-Romans 6:23
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
-John 14:16
"But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
-John 3:16
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock", He's knocking on your heart-loving you with all of His...are you going to answer that?
If you want more information, reading all of Romans 3 is a good idea. Actually, read all of Romans. And while you're reading that letter of Paul's...read all of Paul's writings. His relationship with Jesus was like ours should be, and quite different from the relationship the disciples-who knew Him in the physical world-had. Jesus was able to reveal himself to Paul in a way that the disciples never knew...because when Paul met Him on the road to Damascus, Jesus had been returned to His full glory. Read and you'll understand.
much love.
P.S. I also highly recommend you read Frank Peretti's novel Nightmare Academy (The Veritas Project). The reading is rather easy, but the concept and message is very potent at any age.
*Note: I don't hate people who practice homosexuality. I don't treat them differently IRL or on the internet. But most, if not all, of the people I know who are homosexual know what I believe about that issue. I believe what the Bible says. And that's all I'm trying to say in that section of this blog. Both/and can't exist. It's impossible. There are certainties. Things are real. The Truth is real. Right and wrong exist; just as much as any tangible-or at least commonly accepted-opposite (i.e. hot and cold, up and down, left and right, in and out, over and under, night and day, light and dark, etc.).
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
[Early December]
Well, I haven't been as faithful in updating this as I'd hoped to be...but I think I'm excused as life has been a bit crazy lately. I have yet to get up the courage to talk to a counselor at my school about my academic downfall that has been this semester...I keep putting it off and now the semester is almost over. Eek.
In other news, my abuelito has been out of the hospital for...a couple weeks? I think it's been a couple weeks now...I'm honestly not sure. My days kind of overlap and run into each other. Anyway, he has good days and bad days. He has days when he's willing to move here with us and days when he's not. Same goes for my abuelita. She has days when she handles things well and remembers what she should (regarding things like my abuelito's medicines) and days when she gets forgetful and confused. I just talked to my mom on the phone today, and she said they've both digressed back to Spanish. Not that speaking Spanish is something one generally digresses to-I actually aspire to learn it-but they both used to be bilingual. And now they're not. Their English is apparently very broken and often incorrect. So there's actually a minor language barrier between them and my mom. See, when my mom was growing up, they insisted on her speaking only English and refused to teach her Spanish. She ended up surprising them by picking it up anyway; but she hasn't had very much practice speaking it for years. So her Spanish isn't what it was and their English is almost non-existant. However, all-in-all they're doing well. If you've been praying for them, please continue to do so as it is still just as necessary as ever.
[Now]
As I type I'm actually sitting in McKinney, TX (just outside of Dallas) in the living room of my parents' old pastor. A man I have heard about constantly growing up. He and his wife are even better than the stories. Southern, Holy Spirit filled, Bible quoting at every turn people. I love it! Pastor John is incredible! He's an artist, a musician, a poet, and an incredibly wise man of God. His wife Ann is equally amazing in her wisdom and spirit. We're staing with them through Monday, but we've been in TX since the 22nd. We were staying at my great Tia Frances' house, several blocks away from my grandparents. My abuelito has lost a lot of weight and my abuelita has gained some. His doctors advise him to try to gain some and hers just the opposite. She jokes that it would all be just fine if she could give him some of hers. They seem to be doing alright, but they can't live alone. So either we move here or they move out to CA. We'll probably move them out with us, but there's a lot of stress and pressure with all of that and the details concerning that right now. Our house isn't big enough for them to live with us, they have lot of things, and some of their siblings and friends are still alive out here. The thing is: for years, my abuelito was the one who took care of everything and everyone out here, but noone will help him now. His doctor wants to move him into some kind of hospice proram, but that would essentially be a death watch. We have a doctor out in CA (a nutritionist) who would likely be able to help him far more than a death watch; and with everything he's always done for everyone-including our family-we need to try it. They've enjoyed having all the kids out here, but it can be kind of stressful for them with all of the noise. It's been nice though. Not a "vacation" per se, and when we get back there it'll be even less "vacation-y"; however, seeing my grandparents and helping them out...just spending time with them...well, it's been worth it. :) God is so faithful. I'll update later with more information and whatnot when I have time, but I have to be getting to bed now.
Hope you all had a marvelous Christmas!!!
much love.
Well, I haven't been as faithful in updating this as I'd hoped to be...but I think I'm excused as life has been a bit crazy lately. I have yet to get up the courage to talk to a counselor at my school about my academic downfall that has been this semester...I keep putting it off and now the semester is almost over. Eek.
In other news, my abuelito has been out of the hospital for...a couple weeks? I think it's been a couple weeks now...I'm honestly not sure. My days kind of overlap and run into each other. Anyway, he has good days and bad days. He has days when he's willing to move here with us and days when he's not. Same goes for my abuelita. She has days when she handles things well and remembers what she should (regarding things like my abuelito's medicines) and days when she gets forgetful and confused. I just talked to my mom on the phone today, and she said they've both digressed back to Spanish. Not that speaking Spanish is something one generally digresses to-I actually aspire to learn it-but they both used to be bilingual. And now they're not. Their English is apparently very broken and often incorrect. So there's actually a minor language barrier between them and my mom. See, when my mom was growing up, they insisted on her speaking only English and refused to teach her Spanish. She ended up surprising them by picking it up anyway; but she hasn't had very much practice speaking it for years. So her Spanish isn't what it was and their English is almost non-existant. However, all-in-all they're doing well. If you've been praying for them, please continue to do so as it is still just as necessary as ever.
[Now]
As I type I'm actually sitting in McKinney, TX (just outside of Dallas) in the living room of my parents' old pastor. A man I have heard about constantly growing up. He and his wife are even better than the stories. Southern, Holy Spirit filled, Bible quoting at every turn people. I love it! Pastor John is incredible! He's an artist, a musician, a poet, and an incredibly wise man of God. His wife Ann is equally amazing in her wisdom and spirit. We're staing with them through Monday, but we've been in TX since the 22nd. We were staying at my great Tia Frances' house, several blocks away from my grandparents. My abuelito has lost a lot of weight and my abuelita has gained some. His doctors advise him to try to gain some and hers just the opposite. She jokes that it would all be just fine if she could give him some of hers. They seem to be doing alright, but they can't live alone. So either we move here or they move out to CA. We'll probably move them out with us, but there's a lot of stress and pressure with all of that and the details concerning that right now. Our house isn't big enough for them to live with us, they have lot of things, and some of their siblings and friends are still alive out here. The thing is: for years, my abuelito was the one who took care of everything and everyone out here, but noone will help him now. His doctor wants to move him into some kind of hospice proram, but that would essentially be a death watch. We have a doctor out in CA (a nutritionist) who would likely be able to help him far more than a death watch; and with everything he's always done for everyone-including our family-we need to try it. They've enjoyed having all the kids out here, but it can be kind of stressful for them with all of the noise. It's been nice though. Not a "vacation" per se, and when we get back there it'll be even less "vacation-y"; however, seeing my grandparents and helping them out...just spending time with them...well, it's been worth it. :) God is so faithful. I'll update later with more information and whatnot when I have time, but I have to be getting to bed now.
Hope you all had a marvelous Christmas!!!
much love.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sleep
Sleep escapes me.
Though I chase it
It eludes me at every turn.
Sleep is to me as
Roxy was to the cop in New York Minute:
Somehow just a step ahead
In the direction I don't seem to be heading.
Sleep is to me as
Water is to a beached whale:
If I don't get some soon
I'm in trouble.
Sleep escapes me.
Though I chase it
It eludes me at every turn.
Sleep is to me
As Jerry is to Tom:
A wild game of cat and mouse
In a world where the mouse always wins.
Sleep escapes me.
Though I chase it
It eludes me at every turn.
God, help me to sleep!
Though I chase it
It eludes me at every turn.
Sleep is to me as
Roxy was to the cop in New York Minute:
Somehow just a step ahead
In the direction I don't seem to be heading.
Sleep is to me as
Water is to a beached whale:
If I don't get some soon
I'm in trouble.
Sleep escapes me.
Though I chase it
It eludes me at every turn.
Sleep is to me
As Jerry is to Tom:
A wild game of cat and mouse
In a world where the mouse always wins.
Sleep escapes me.
Though I chase it
It eludes me at every turn.
God, help me to sleep!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Holding On: Prayer, Pictures, and Special K
Please be praying for my family right now.
My grandpa's in the hospital because of congestive heart failure. He went in last Thursday, but we only found out on Saturday. He wasn't supposed to survive past Sunday. But yesterday they moved him out of ICU. Now the doctors are saying he'll only be alive for about 3-6 months and he has to either go to a convalescent hospital or my abuelita has to take care of him at home. He wants the second one. The only problem with that is that my abuelita can barely care for herself. So, we're praying about what to do about that situation. We may be moving them all out here with us. My abuelito, my abuelita, and my (great) tia. My mom left town on Monday morning at 3:30 a.m. to fly to Texas (with my baby brother) to help my grandma (abuelita). My grandparents are both in their 80s and their English isn't what it use to be-so until my mom arrived on Monday, there was a little bit of a language barrier. [See, my half Mexican side comes from them. :)] Anyway, my mom was only supposed to be gone for 3 weeks. Nothing's official yet, but she'll probably be gone a bit longer than that. Which means I am "Sissy"/Mommy...and my sisters(7 and 8-almost 9) and my dad miss my mom. A lot.
On Monday, I took a day off of work so I could be available to pick up my sisters from school and surprise them by taking them to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year. 
On an even lighter note:
I have a question. Do you like Special K cereal with the strawberries? Every time I pour it into my bowl, I ask myself this question: Do I want to pick through and get rid of the strawberries, or do I want to eat them?
Don't get me wrong, I love strawberries. Juicy, red, and sweet ...I mean, what's not to love? And when they're chocolate-covered? Or with a fondue... mmm mmm good! But, in Special K cereal...well, the snozberries just don't taste like snozberries. They're a little bitter...I don't know how to describe it exactly. I like them, but then I don't. I can never decide. So I usually just decide to be lazy and eat them. Tonight I had this same dilemma; however, tonight I voiced my hesitancy and conflict to my younger 18-year-old brother. He actually agreed with me. No weird look. No crazy face. No eye-rolling. He agreed. I was pleasantly shocked. But, are we weird? And am I weird for spending so much thought on it? I mean, in the end I guess it doesn't matter if the snozberries taste like snozberries or the strawberries in Special K cereal taste like strawberries...
But it still bothers me!
My grandpa's in the hospital because of congestive heart failure. He went in last Thursday, but we only found out on Saturday. He wasn't supposed to survive past Sunday. But yesterday they moved him out of ICU. Now the doctors are saying he'll only be alive for about 3-6 months and he has to either go to a convalescent hospital or my abuelita has to take care of him at home. He wants the second one. The only problem with that is that my abuelita can barely care for herself. So, we're praying about what to do about that situation. We may be moving them all out here with us. My abuelito, my abuelita, and my (great) tia. My mom left town on Monday morning at 3:30 a.m. to fly to Texas (with my baby brother) to help my grandma (abuelita). My grandparents are both in their 80s and their English isn't what it use to be-so until my mom arrived on Monday, there was a little bit of a language barrier. [See, my half Mexican side comes from them. :)] Anyway, my mom was only supposed to be gone for 3 weeks. Nothing's official yet, but she'll probably be gone a bit longer than that. Which means I am "Sissy"/Mommy...and my sisters(7 and 8-almost 9) and my dad miss my mom. A lot.
On Monday, I took a day off of work so I could be available to pick up my sisters from school and surprise them by taking them to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year. 
<-- They loved it!
Their Sharpay impressions -->
I have a lot I'm praying about and trying to figure out too. This kind of came as a shock. I was planning on finshing this semester at the local junior college, moving out mid-December and starting internship at my church in January. But I don't think any of that is going to happen right now. It'll all probably be delayed until further notice. I'm going to try to get an appointment with a counselor at my school to see what I can work out with my classes and finals-if anything...but being "mom" means I don't know what I'll be able to do for them. And financially, moving out now isn't an option. My parents are going to be depending on my rent check now more than ever (never thought I'd see the day)...and they need my help/moral support. So maybe I'll be able to move out/start internship next fall...?
I don't know...All I know is that God's in control. And Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Isaiah 41:10, and Isaiah 40:31. But, aside from the fact that you're praying for us, I think that's all I need to know. God promised me He has a plan for me. That He'll strengthen, help, and hold me. So I'm going to hold onto that and walk by faith, not by sight. It doesn't mean I won't get overwhelmed or upset at times-I'm human. But I know that God will be there when I do feel that way. I know He'll be there no matter what.
<-- I took this pic on Saturday, just a few hours after I found out about my abuelito. Ironic that it was right over the hospital... but God couldn't have chosen a more perfect time to remind me that I'm never alone.
I don't know...All I know is that God's in control. And Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Isaiah 41:10, and Isaiah 40:31. But, aside from the fact that you're praying for us, I think that's all I need to know. God promised me He has a plan for me. That He'll strengthen, help, and hold me. So I'm going to hold onto that and walk by faith, not by sight. It doesn't mean I won't get overwhelmed or upset at times-I'm human. But I know that God will be there when I do feel that way. I know He'll be there no matter what.
<-- I took this pic on Saturday, just a few hours after I found out about my abuelito. Ironic that it was right over the hospital... but God couldn't have chosen a more perfect time to remind me that I'm never alone. On a lighter note:
If you thought I was kidding about being obsessed with taking pictures of the sky during this time of year/kind of weather...I strongly urge you to take off your socks. They're about to be blown off. I took 31 pictures of just the sky in 2 days time. This while I was supposed to be either driving or taking pictures of the family get-together we just had for Thanksgiving/Christmas...what can I say? ;p
I have a question. Do you like Special K cereal with the strawberries? Every time I pour it into my bowl, I ask myself this question: Do I want to pick through and get rid of the strawberries, or do I want to eat them?
Don't get me wrong, I love strawberries. Juicy, red, and sweet ...I mean, what's not to love? And when they're chocolate-covered? Or with a fondue... mmm mmm good! But, in Special K cereal...well, the snozberries just don't taste like snozberries. They're a little bitter...I don't know how to describe it exactly. I like them, but then I don't. I can never decide. So I usually just decide to be lazy and eat them. Tonight I had this same dilemma; however, tonight I voiced my hesitancy and conflict to my younger 18-year-old brother. He actually agreed with me. No weird look. No crazy face. No eye-rolling. He agreed. I was pleasantly shocked. But, are we weird? And am I weird for spending so much thought on it? I mean, in the end I guess it doesn't matter if the snozberries taste like snozberries or the strawberries in Special K cereal taste like strawberries...
But it still bothers me!
much love.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Words -> Action
So, I decided I want to try to post a new blog daily. Hopefully this won't be in the "epic failure" category...you know, along with losing 10 pounds by summer...I gained about 10 since I said that instead...at the very least 5.
Shocking, I know. Anyway, today was Thursday. And on Thursdays, I have leadership for one of the churches I'm involved in. Tonight, because it was the first Thursday of the month, was what we call a "M:X" or "mission" night. Basically, leadership gets split up into two groups: the L:X (leaders/those who mentor) and the LIT's (leaders-in-training/those who don't mentor/"mentorees"). The LIT's meet at the church and the L:X's go to Pastor's house.
Tonight was amazing. Where do I start? Ok, so if you've read my other blogs-or at least my first one-you know that I've been a Christian pretty much my entire life. Most of that time has been spent in one charasmatic-or pentecostal-church or another. When I was younger, it was all about Brownsville. I read Aimee Semple McPherson's autobiography This is That when I was about ten years old. I've been singing, "people get ready, Jesus is comin'" for the past...oh man...eleven years now? Maybe longer...Anyway, tonight at leadership we watched an interview of Kim Walker. That woman is incredible. Truly annointed and inspiring. Then we had an intense time of prayer and worship. Jesus Culture played, then Misty Edwards. The song People Get Ready started playing. http://www.rhapsody.com/mistyedwards/relentless/peoplegetready If you haven't heard it, check it out. So, I was worshipping and praying and suddenly I stopped. I felt the need to stop and look around. God reminded me of all the other times I'd sung the words, "people get ready, Jesus is coming", and all the people I'd sung it with. Every time, over the last eleven years, we'd meant it. Every time, over the last eleven years, a declaration had been made that we would make a difference. We would reach the lost. We would start a revolution in our city. It was going to happen. It never did. See, we had the talk. We'd walk the walk half way. But, nothing much ever changed. Nothing ever really happened. My city is still full of people who are headed to Hell in an ignorant hand basket. But tonight...it was different. Tonight, people sang it with every fiber of their beings. They meant it. Words were being put into action even as they left the mouth. It was encouraging. Powerful. Inspiring. Most definitely a God thing. Kind of like that sky at the beginning of my entry. xD
So, here's to new beginnings. And old words finding their meanings. And words being put into action even as they leave the mouth.
much love.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Stranger
Where I live, there are several towns surrounding my "city". My "city" is the county seat and therefore considered the "city" for many people in our area. In reality, it's nothing more than about 203,955 people (as of July 2007)...although we apparently have a "metropolitan population (of) over 500,000 people". Still, generally speaking, it's the kind of city where everyone knows everyone, or-in the off chance that you don't know a person-they undoubtedly know your brother or a close friend. That's just how it works. It's the kind of place where-if you've lived here long enough-you can't go out (shopping, eating, or otherwise) without running into someone you know (or knew). And many times the towns surrounding my city intertwine socially, and it takes very little time to get from my city to another town (as long as you're on the ritgh side of the "city").That said, about a month ago I was at work in one of our adjoining towns. I work with Autistic kids-behavior therapy-and sometimes have a school and/or home shift. That day, I started work in that other town at a school shift, then had a lunch break, then to that same client's home, and finally I ended my work day at the center in my "city". Typical Friday. Except, I was out of gas. I made the 45 minute drive (traffic, ugh) to this other town and realized that I'd have to get gas on my lunch. No problem. I finished my school shift, walk my client and his mom to their car to ensure that my client didn't throw a tantrum or have an inflexibility, and head to the nearest gas station. After I'd pulled up to the pump, I called my bank to see exactly how much money I had. I was expecting a balance of about $20-30. Not a lot, but enough to keep me going until my next pay check as I'd paid all my bills.
"Please enter your acount number."
******
"Please enter your pin number."
****
"You are now logged in. For check..."
1
"To get your..."
1
"Your account, with suffix ** is currently overdrawn $45. Please come to the bank and make a deposit immediately."
Crap.
I immediately discovered that I had spent $5 too much and had therefore incurred a $40 fee. Yikes! I scrambled for my wallet. No money at all. Nothing. Zilch. Nada....save for a $20 gift card to Target I'd gotten from my aunt as a late birthday gift. No help. Then the reality of it all hit me. I was about 45 minutes away from home and anybody who could possibly help me...with no gas and no money. I was freaking out...I mean, I was a total spaz.
*thinks*
'Ok, Michelle...calm yourself down.'
*prays*
'Alright.'
*goes inside and sees an employee (who turned out to be the manager)*
"Hello, ma'am. How're you doing today?"
"Um...well...uh...I'm doing...okay..."
"You don't sound too sure about that...is there anything I can help you with?"
"Well...actually..."
And I told the man my story. I think he must have had some trouble with overdrawn bank accounts before in his life; because, when I had finished he turned around to address the man working behind the counter and:
"Hey, Bob, you need a $20 gift card to Target for anything?"
"No..."
"Sure ya do. You got $20?"
"Not on me."
"Ok, I'll tell you what? We'll go 50/50 on this. $10 each. You can pay me back later."
And with that this man I'd never met before, this kind-hearted stranger, took out his wallet and handed me a $20 bill. He directed me to give both the gift card and the $20 bill to the guy at the counter. Then I walked out to my car, got some gas, and went back to work...slightly embarrassed and incredibly humbled by my oversight, this stranger's generosity, and God's faithfulness to take care of His own. Now, I don't really remember either of their names...but I think that's okay, don't you?
Writing prompt from: http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/2008/11/todays-writing-prompt-stranger.html
much love.
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