On Promptings and Posies
Have you ever felt a prompting?
I mean one of those random thoughts that seems to be whispered to your very being saying “You should call so-and-so” or “Hey….how is your friend Julie, by the way? She’d be thrilled if you sent her a handwritten note and a simple bag of her favorite tea tucked inside.”
Many times, these promptings are God’s spirit beckoning us to act; to be his hands and feet. It just might bless the socks off of someone, and confirm for you once again these facts:
- God is real.
- He is still involved in the lives of people.
- He loves to orchestrate details in such a way that people get to see Him work.
- And they also learn to hear His still small voice, obey and as a result, watch another soul be blown away by Jesus’ love for them.
It just happened to me.
Without going into all of the sorted details, suffice it to say that I had a rough week. Not a tragic week. Not a week with bad news or unruly children or difficulty in my marriage.
Just a week of bummers and mishaps and lost time and people who had fires to put out and somehow thought I was the entire New York Fire Department with hoses ready to put out the fires THEY HAD CREATED for themselves since I had nothing better to do!!!!! (This was an unplanned editorial.)
And I had three days of travel for my son’s baseball tryouts for a team near Detroit. And a P31 devotion due. And groceries to get. And a head bleeding when I whacked it on the trunk lock when getting the groceries out of the trunk since no boys we around to help me since they were with the new puppy who had made a deposit on my kitchen floor just before 12 women from my Becoming More Bible study were to arrive after I had returned from getting my hair cut after working out since I still have stinkin’ weight to lose and……
Oh, and did I mention this all took place while I was trying to finalize my notes for next week’s Hearts at Home National Conference? It is on marriage.
Oh yeah…nothin’ puts a big ole bull’s eye on your heart and emotions like trying to talk to ladies about having a marriage that pleases God.
Anyhow–I was in tears Wednesday. My 15-year-old son witnessed my meltdown. He asked why I was crying. What was wrong?
“Nothing..” I replied. And then I promptly proceeded to blubber about how I am such an incompetent mom, awful wife, stink at homeschooling, haven’t cooked a decent meal in days….blah, blah, blah.
He sure got an earful of “nothin'”
(I am preparing him well for his marriage communication reality, don’t ‘cha think?)
Just then, the doorbell rang. I wiped my eyes and answered it. A strange man stood there holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
“Are you Karen?” he inquired.
“Yes sir” I said, trying to stealthily suck the still-dripping snot up my dainty nose.
I smiled, took the flowers from him, went in the house and removed the attached note card, so excited to see who had sent me flowers a full week before my birthday.
It was addressed to ‘Dorothy’.
I began to bawl again. Now, not only had I had a meltdown, then been perked up by the thought of someone sending me flowers, but now had my bubble burst when I noticed they were obviously for the neighbor down the street.
But wait! He had asked if I was Karen! Maybe they were for me after all! I opened the card and it read:
Dorothy, Enjoy your gift in the “Land of Oz” for this next week before you come to Illinois. Love, Glinda
Oh…now I got it.
They were from my precious friend and accountability partner Mary who lives three states away. Ladies… NO ONE I know listens to God like this gal.
Seriously.
My kids call her my freaky friend. Something will happen at our home that desperately needs prayer. A half hour later the phone will ring. It will be Miss Mary asking, “What happened about a half hour ago? I can’t stop praying for you.”
Cue the Twilight Zone music, please.
Well, suddenly the whole Dorothy/Glinda lingo made sense. It is because my message for Hearts is called A Marriage Made in Oz.
Duh!
When I took the wrap off of the flowers, I nearly fell over. I had just thrown out a bouquet of flowers in the exact same color scheme that I got from helping with our church’s Valentines Day banquet. They were the perfect finishing touch to my Easter decor on my dining room table. I was having my Bible Study gals over and so wanted to run out to the store and purchase a bouquet just like it again but knew we are on a “no spending freeze” due to the extra gas baseball is requiring this spring.. But this arrangement was what God had already planned.
Sweet, yet calorie-free kisses from heaven sent through the promptings of one of God’s girls.
When I called Mary to thank her and tell her of the perfect timing, perfect colors…etc, she just chuckled. She said the Holy Spirit had just given her an urge the night before, “Send Karen flowers. And she has to get them tomorrow.” When she went to pick them out, she was instantly drawn to the type and colors.
Mary, acting in obedience to God’s prompting, completely turned my day around and reassured me that God loves me and understands.
What is God prompting you to do today? For whom?
Do it without delay.
It is so fun seeing God show up!!!
Sweet Weekend Blessings,
You are a blessing ;)
I am constantly amazed by how God keeps using this wonderful person to reach out to others when prompted by God. OH, what would happen if we all heard and listened to God’s voice.
Thank you for sharing this story Karen. Mary did tell me but it is so much better to see it from your perspective.
I am so sorry you had a rough week….it always seems that way the attack before the ministry. Must have had a really awesome bible study & the conference must be going to touch a lot of people..will be praying for you – for the conference.!
Thanks for being real, I had a tough week with my oldest and I had a melt down with him too – not responding in a manner that I like to him. :-(
I love those God moments, I’ve shared with you before how I’ve had the opportunity to bless. Sunday I just felt like I was supposed to take lunch to my sons preschool teachers on Monday. While asleep, I woke up laughing … that she had forgotten her lunch on Monday. When Monday came I took in lunch to them – Jenny says “you do hear from God” all I brought was a can of soup off the shelf today I forgot to pack a lunch.
I love when God does that kinda stuff!
This is so awesome!! God is amazing how He works!!
So sorry you’ve had one of those weeks, Karen! I’m hoping I get into your workshop at the conference–I’m attending Friday. :) Oh, and happy early birthday!
Just……. thank you for sharing, for being so open! God knew I needed right now to read this and I don’t even know you nor have ever heard you speak, but I love you and your heart!
Blessings!
I didn’t receive this week, the really cool part is I got to bless someone. I retired five years ago. I miss the people in my office but I also moved and do not get the chance to see or visit them. Last week one day the name of the one of my favorite office friends came to mind. Out of the blue! I had been the one to hire her and was I ever so blessed when God sent her my way. So, I sent her an email. It was near the first anniversary of her Mother’s death. I was so thrilled that God let me participate in His blessing. Grace and peace to both of you.
Oh Karen! THANK YOU so much for sharing this. Two weeks ago today I had a meltdown when I dropped my youngest off at preschool. It was the fourth day in a row that I had forgotten some major thing with my children, in addition to the fact that my college student was sick and had asked for some time with me and I felt terribly guilty as I told her I could not spare time from work to come and see her. That Friday when I realized that it was pajama day and I had not remembered – seeing my sweet little girl trying so hard not to cry – well that was the straw the broke the camel’s back. I lost it. I cried so hard and blubbered and apparently talked about my “difficult life” that those around me thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. My husband even had to leave work to pick her up and take care of things the rest of the day. I was sent home (though I could barely drive through the tears) and I spent the rest of the day lying in my bed with my dog and cried until 9 pm that night (YUP – I cried for 10 solid hours!). At which point, I got up and said that my deadline was not going to take care of itself, and I worked until midnight. Saturday I stayed in bed crying until 2 pm when my husband asked me if I could get up and greet the day. It was awful! I don’t remember doing this, but the people who witnessed my crying spell said that I was talking about how I was a failure as a mother, and that I was so tired from working long hours, and that I felt like I was nearly drowning, etc. Well, Friday afternoon, I got a delivery of flowers. YES! It was from one of the other moms at preschool. It was so precious of her to think to do this. And I looked at those flowers and cried some more about how I had been feeling that I lacked beauty in my life. I was tired of the long, gray, dreary winter; tired of my house that we have been adding on to ourselves for the last twelve years; tired of never taking time out to sing or paint or work on a scrapbook – all the things I want to do and enjoy doing but feel they are “extras” when I’m working to help make ends meet. Yes, I threw myself the best pity party ever. But those flowers – deep purple with splashes of yellow – they helped me so much. They helped me to see that God was working through someone else on my behalf. So often, like you, I am the one that people call on and I was feeling a bit burned out. Things are improving now, but my husband is helping to hold me accountable that I really do need to take care of myself more.
I’m probably blabbering on right now – I’m writing from the library and have only a few minutes left until I pick up at preschool. But thank you for helping me to know that I am not alone.