Apr 6, 2010 | Stories, Travel..ling Tuesdays
For months and months now, Travelling Tuesdays have brought you the beauty of South Africa. Well a small slice of the beauty anyway. I really hoped you’d get a different perspective on Africa. There’s more than one story to tell. More than one picture I hope will resonate in your mind. There is indeed devastating poverty. There’s also great beauty. And I’ve been hoping to share both.
I unwrapped an unexpected gift this Easter Sunday, that I thought you might enjoy seeing and hearing about this TT. I didn’t wear a dress. The Bear didn’t munch any peeps. And we didn’t have a spiral sliced honey-glazed ham. Sigh. But we did enjoy something really special this Easter. We visited a church in one of the townships nearby, and I measured up the feet of some kids who will be receiving new shoes in less than two weeks.
We are really excited about our first distribution taking place this month. About finally getting to do some of what we came here to do, after months of paperwork and fedexes, P.O. Boxes and charity-registering-signatures, and lots of heart-tugging tough moments, we’ll finally be blessing people with a message of hope and a new pair of shoes.
What unexpected gift have I to share this Travelling Tuesday? Don’t worry, first the photos and then I’ll explain!
Before we visited the church where we’ll be hosting a distribution, the pastor gave us a whirlwind of a bumpy tour through some different parts of the township. These are some areas where some of the children who will be receiving shoes live. I suppose it’s a little slice of the Africa you’ve been expecting to see all along. But I hope you’ll let it touch your heart in a fresh way.
Just for perspective’s sake I’ll remind you these shots were taken while riding along in the pastor’s Kombi. (What South Africans call a big 15 passenger van.)
It’s hard to know what to say. I’ll let you come up with your own captions a little.
Coca-Cola is everywhere.
This children’s centre had brightly coloured outdoor potties that I really wish I could’ve gotten a picture of. They were green and yellow polka-dotted. Just close your eyes and imagine!
This church was very holey — not in the religious sense of the word.
Sometimes unexpected colour brings me unexpected joy.
Where did that horse grazing way back there come from?
And this is part of the group of kids who’ll be receiving shoes soon. Shhh! They’re at Sunday school!
(I’m in the corner getting ready to measure some footsies!)
So…in between the stray dogs and barbed wire, the bare feet and the bright colours, I unwrapped an unexpected gift. The gift was a glimpse of the lovely things God is going to do in South Africa through Samaritan’s Feet — lovely things that I get to be a part of. I received the gift when my hands were tickling the bottoms of rough little feet, bearing toes that had been squished into too-small-shoes for too long. I untied the ribbons when the Sunday school teacher told me some of these kids borrow a pair of shoes just to have something to wear to church. I gently pulled back the paper as I came face to face with the scenery I’ve been riding past for months, concerned that my heart might be growing insensitive as these months have worn on. I peeked inside as I lifted these precious children onto a chair, removed and replaced a shoe, and gave and received sweet smiles.
It was a gift to be reminded what all these struggles have been about. What I hope to be a part of doing here. The hope of having a great impact in the lives of even a few children — that’s the hope I’ve been missing for a while. And along with the gift of the Resurrection, a constant remembrance for an Easter Sunday, there was the gift of remembering that Jesus lives in me. What a gift and a privilege to be hands and feet to a world in need.
Was that the Africa you’ve been expecting all these Tuesdays? I hope it still touches a spot in your heart, to make you grateful for what you have, perhaps moved to do something for others who don’t. We can find unexpected gifts all the time, if we’re willing to look.
I hope you’re enjoying the journey of today this Tuesday!
xCC
I shared this post today over at Chatting at the Sky’s Tuesdays Unwrapped. I recommend a venture over to enjoy some more reminders of the giftedness of life!
Apr 5, 2010 | Stories, The Good Word, The Parenthood
This post, and the special picture at the bottom are for my Dad. Thanks for being in my corner!
I was a really puny kid. Almost always the smallest in the class. On picture day, they lined us up according to height, shortest to tallest, and I always went first and held up the little sign with the teacher’s name and the date. Most of the time I liked being little — it made me feel special. But on one particular day, let’s just say it wasn’t to my advantage.
There was a game we used to play on the playground called Four Square. You took turns in one of the four squares, bouncing the ball to a different square and hoping the next person couldn’t return it. You advanced through each square to the first square, the square where you served the ball, and hoped to stay there for as long as possible. The kids who weren’t in one of the four squares usually just stood in a queue/line and waited by the last square for their turn, when someone else “got out.â€
On one particular day, I was about ten years old at the time, one of the other girls in the class let’s call her Janet decided I had skipped her in line, and she was upset with me about it. I most certainly had not skipped Janet, but she was upset anyway. It’s important to remember that I was a pipsqueak and easy to pick on. Janet called another girl over to help “solve†the problem. Let’s call her Mary Sue. Now this is to the best of my rememberance what went down. Mind you I was ten…this isn’t an exact play by play.
Janet: “Mary Sue, come on over here! Caroline skipped me in the line.â€
Mary Sue came over. She was only a little older, but significantly bigger than me. I was a pipsqueak, remember?!
Janet: “Come hold Caroline’s arms down so I can kick her.â€
At this point I am really concerned. I don’t know what to do. I’m about to be backed into a corner by a kid that’s much bigger than me, so that another kid can kick me. And unjustly so! I start to feel hot and nervous and my heart is racing.
Mary Sue comes over and holds my arms to my sides. I am terrified and by now my heart is pounding out of my chest — I don’t want to be kicked!!
And then something happened even I didn’t expect. In the heat of the moment, backed into a corner, threatened to have the mess kicked out of me, my playground survival instincts kicked in. It’s like I can’t even remember it. But when the dust cleared, and the moment had passed, I had not been kicked. Not even once.
Why not, Caroline? How did you get out of it?
When all the chips were down, my arms held to my sides, and my legs too short to deliver a kick, I bit Mary Sue.
And though I can’t remember it, I have a feeling that when the playground survival instinct kicked in, it wasn’t just a little bite. I mean to tell you I bit her.
I only vaguely remember having the chance to tell my side of the story to the teacher. I know my Mom was informed. Mary Sue’s Mom worked at our school, and she decided to take Mary Sue to the doctor for a shot. It was not my favourite elementary school experience, to say the least.
That evening when I was home from school, I was a little worried. My Mom didn’t say much about it, but I was afraid my Dad was going to be mad at me. We hadn’t really talked about it and I didn’t know if we were going to.
We were watching TV after dinner when the phone rang. It was Mary Sue’s Mom. Let’s call her Diane. My Dad answered.
I don’t know exactly what Diane said to my Dad. I guess she told him I should be punished. Maybe she told him we should pay for the shot. Maybe she just wanted to make sure he knew what I’d done and that I had been appropriately disciplined.
I sat and listened, a little fearful of what was going to happen when my Dad put down the phone. But then, I heard some of the most beautiful words I can remember out of my Dad’s mouth when I was a kid. He interrupted Diane and said,
“D*** it, Diane! Your kid is twice the size of my kid! If something like this happens again, I would tell her to do it again!â€
I am pretty sure the conversation ended shortly after that.
That was the sweet and perfect voice of vindication and redemption. It meant the world to me that my Dad understood, and that he had my back. I was embarassed by what had happened. I was afraid he wouldn’t understand, and I was afraid I was going to be punished when I had only been trying to defend myself. And I think something a lot of kids really long for, in a world where they are constantly told what to do, to think and to say, is some kind of justice — for things to be fair.
When I knew my Dad understood what had happened, and when I knew he was on my side, it was such a sweet feeling of vindication. I wasn’t afraid of going back to school the next day. I wasn’t going to be embarassed that I was ten years old and I bit someone. My Dad was in my corner, and in that moment, that was what I really needed to know.
Today I think I sometimes forget about the God who’s in my corner. He is the God who showed up on the playground of this earth, in the name of love, in the name of justice, and with the purpose of redemption. I am sometimes afraid that He is a God who cannot understand what I’m walking through, and is therefore disappointed and upset with me when things don’t happen the way they should. But God came near. He can identify with our struggles. He walked through thirty-some years in a world full of unkind and unfair. Even when we do make mistakes, He understands and He forgives.
And He is in your corner. He wants you to know that even if things don’t go the way they should, He still loves you. You’re still acceptable. You don’t have to be embarassed or ashamed of the things that have happened — by your own hand, your own decisions and actions, or by someone else’s. And even when you are completely in the wrong — utterly, and obviously way off base — He extends forgiveness, mercy, grace. And the pardon for those actions, the hall pass to escape the punishment — paid for in full by Jesus on the cross.
The dignity that there is in our free will — the dignity that we get to be on the playground of life and choose fairness, choose justice, choose love and choose the ways of God — in itself is such a beautiful redemption.
What I’ve learned since that day on the playground is that our real fight in this world is not against flesh and blood, or the other people on the playground. You have a very real enemy that does not want to see you walk in the plans and purposes God created you for. His voice will bring discouragement, doubt, and feelings of defeat your way. But God is in your corner. He understands the battles you’re facing. And He has strength for you, so that no matter what comes your way, you can keep fighting the good fight. You can keep moving forward.
Knowing that you are loveable, redeemable, understood and loved — knowing that God is for you and is not waiting in the wings eager to punish you — really knowing that will change the game for you. It’ll change the rules for you. It’ll rock the playground of your life.
“What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.†Romans 8: 31 – 32, 38-39
We love this little boy so much. And we passionately long to see him walk in the plans he was created for. Do you know — really know — that no matter what you’ve done, the God of the universe feels that way about you?
xCC
Apr 2, 2010 | Stories, The Good Word
I was recently introduced (in the reading on the internet sense) to a young lady named Eva Markvoort. She was a beautiful young woman, days away from 26 years old, who had been fighting Cystic Fibrosis for quite some time. She received a double lung transplant a while back, but I am very sad to say she suffered chronic rejection and lost the battle with Cystic Fibrosis just a few days ago.
In many ways, the world was watching. Her online journal, 65 Red Roses had fans around the world, following her battle, constantly commenting with encouragement and prayers. She shared her experience with photos and videos, paragraphs and poetry — she wrote beautifully, and she dared to hope, and at the same time to tell the truth about the challenges of her life, right to the end. She posted a goodbye video in mid-February which at present has 2,398 comments. I highly recommend taking the time to view it, to think about what it might be like to be 25 years old and saying goodbye to the world. She speaks more about the importance of love than anything else. An award-winning documentary called 65 Red Roses tells the story of her battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Here’s a photo of Eva:
I think what makes Eva’s death so difficult to swallow for so many people is that she was really beautiful, really talented, and really young. And no one likes to see someone young and beautiful pass away. When people who are older and have lived a full life pass away, we feel better about that. It settles easier in our hearts and minds to say goodbye to someone when they live what we consider a full life. We want to live a full life ourselves and die at a good old age. And it’s not nice to be reminded that that might not happen.
We look at things like what happened in Haiti, and what happened to Eva, and we turn to God and think … What’s happening? Why? I don’t get it.
I read a verse in Ecclesiastes not too long ago that says “It is better to go to a house of mourning than a house of feasting. For that is the end of all men, And the living will take it to heart.†My translation: It is better to go to a funeral than a party. If you’re still alive, it’s a good idea to give this some thought.
Now logically, most of us would think … ugh, what? Since when is a funeral better than a party?
Though heart-wrenching, and tragic, these tragedies aren’t anything new. Some tragic things happened in Jesus’ day. Luke 13 mentions that “Pilate had mingled the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices†and some folks questioned Jesus about it. Clearly those Galileans’ lives came to an untimely end. My guess is the people asked Jesus if that was some sort of judgement on them, or what the deal was.
He responded: “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.†He went on to mention another recent tragedy to further His point. Apparently a tower had fallen on about 18 people in Siloam and they were killed. Jesus says, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.â€
Basically, these people have come to Jesus for an explanation of human suffering, or at least to gain understanding of why these particular deaths happened. But instead of giving an explantion, Jesus gives them a warning. You’re going to die, too. And unless you repent and find new life in me, it will be just as tragic and untimely.
Francis Chan talked about some of this in a sermon a couple weeks ago, (we listen to his church’s podcast sometimes) and he gave the illustration of one of his daughters, who was becoming a bit of a tattle-tail. Her teacher told her to “Worry about herself†and that wasn’t really the answer she wanted.
In a way, when these tragedies are happening, Jesus is saying “I am not going to explain to you the ins and outs of human suffering. I am God and if I don’t want to, I don’t have to. What I do want to tell you, repeatedly, is that you need to worry about yourself. These tragedies happened in an instant. In a moment you could be gone. You need to repent and give your life to me.â€
So why is a funeral better than a feast?
I think it’s because we need to be reminded that we’re human. We’re not going to live forever. If you want to make your life count, you need to start thinking about how you’re living. (And for the sake of others like Eva, consider becoming an organ donor.)  If you knew you only had a few years left on this earth, what would you change? Might you be a little bolder in your faith? Might you decide your time was more important than the money you’re making at work? Might you finally decide to “get right with God?” Might you decide to risk more, and love more, regardless of the consequences?
Remembering the first Good Friday, I wonder if some people felt about Jesus’ death the way many people do about Eva’s. This person who seemed to have a world of potential came to an end before what the rest of us perceived as their time. How do we interpret and receive this?
In her good-bye video, Eva used the word love more than any other. Before Jesus left, He constantly spoke about love. Love your neighbour. Love one another. The world will know you’re Mine because of your love for one another. There’s a theme running through these narratives, bright red, outstanding, and different from what the world expects.
The Sermon in a Nutshell: Don’t take it for granted that you’ll make it to the ripe old age of 85 or 90. Tragedy falls on the old and the young, the poor and the rich, the beautiful and the unlovely alike. You know you have one life to live. You don’t know how long you have to live it. So make today count. You aren’t promised tomorrow. Remember that the greatest feats are achieved through the untamable, incredible power of love.
Goodbye, Eva Markvoort. If we take anything away from your story, I hope we take away a fresh perspective on the brevity of life, and the importance of love.
xCC
Apr 1, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories
I didn’t mean to be so quiet yesterday! Our internet was down. Alas! Anyway, I am learning to open up and be honest with you. And today I have something new to be honest about. Because I don’t think it’s quite right for me to tell you, the readers/friends here who have become very dear to me, all the good stuff that is happening and make it sound like everything is daisies and roses when it’s sometimes daisies and roses, but also at the same time a pretty difficult time for us. So here’s the deal.
I recently wrote a letter to send to our ministry partners, (which I haven’t sent yet) asking them to consider making a one-time gift to help with some specific needs, including the cost of flights to the States. We would like to go ahead and book our tickets to the US for Christmas around this time of year, because they’ll generally just go up and up from here till the holidays.
Now a funny thing has been happening recently. God has been providing for our needs in different ways — people making donations or sending cards with money, family and friends sending boxes full of goodies, other friends recently offered to babysit so we could have a night out!! Our needs have been met, over and over again, not the way we might expect or hope to see them, in our monthly paycheck, but through relationships, in family and friendship. What I think I’m supposed to take note of when I see this is that the Lord is working through others to provide for our needs. He was doing that already. Clearly. We are missionaries and our salary each month comes from the gifts of awesome, generous people around the world. It is becoming more and more apparent lately that He is moving through others to provide for us in different ways from what we expected. (Remember how we received the gift heard round the world? 🙂 )
Since that’s the case, it seems to me that I am missing the boat if I don’t give you guys the opportunity to give. You have been such an encouragement to me and some of you have asked about giving already. If I don’t tell you that we have these needs and we don’t have the finances to cover them, then you won’t know, and you won’t be given the opportunity to give. And if I don’t tell you that our finances are really tight, and we could really use additional ministry support to make our very frugal budget come together at the end of each month, then you’ll never know.
So today I’m telling you. I don’t intend to tell you every day, but today it seems to be the right thing for me to take a moment and say “Hey, maybe the Lord wants to provide for this through you, and you won’t know if I don’t tell you.†I know I need to listen to Him when He tells me to ask. (I really don’t like doing it sometimes!) This is sometimes what it looks like to live a life of faith — we are in positions where we don’t know how we’re going to make it unless the Lord shows up. I look forward to telling you how all this comes together!
So. At present, our monthly income is covering our basic monthly needs and little else. We have three major needs right now:
- We have a non-existent travel budget, and would like to be able to go home for Christmas this year.
- We will soon be paying our taxes (fortunately later than you guys because we live overseas.)
- We are working very hard to pay off the car we had to purchase outright when we arrived in SA.
We don’t (yet) have the finances to cover the first two things. (Help with #3 would mean making ends meet each month would be a lot easier.) The flights are about $3,000. The taxes, about $5,000. The car, closer to $10,000. (We needed a reliable and safe car in this part of the world — and cars don’t come cheap in SA!)
My friends, I don’t want you to feel obligated or pressured to open your wallet. If you are happy to give and want to, please do. The good news is that sharing this on the internet makes it about as non-confrontational as possible! I also want to mention that if you’re the kind of person who likes to pray, we would appreciate your prayers. (If you’re not and would like to try, we’d appreciate that too! 🙂 )
If you would like to help with any of these needs, will you let me know? You can give online at www.samaritansfeet.org (Just note that your gift is for Mark & Caroline Collie). Or if you’d like to give in a different way or you have questions, just comment here or email me. Should you decide to give, please shoot me an email or forward me your receipt so that we can make sure your gift gets credited to us. (And, yes, if you’re an American taxpayer, it’s tax-deductible.)
I have no idea what might come of me deciding to be very honest and open with you guys, and share our needs with you. I hope it’s gonna look like me putting a little pie chart up somewhere and rejoicing with you about what’s happening! But I appreciate you reading and perhaps taking a moment to pray and to share this with others who might like to help. Your comments and encouragements through this tough season have meant more to me than you know. I will keep you updated on what happens. And I want to say thanks, again and again!
xCC
P.S. I thought some happy pictures of the Bear would liven up all this money-talk. 🙂 And if you are a worrier, don’t worry! God has always come through for us. And we know He will.
Mar 27, 2010 | Stories, The Good Word, The Parenthood
We had a few errands to run this morning. They included visiting Toys R Us. My Dad watched the Bear put together his ABCs puzzle at ninja speed on skype a couple weeks ago and wanted to buy him some more puzzles. (They’re educational, and he’s competitive like that. 🙂 ) But after our slightly difficult experience in receiving the awesome gift my Mom sent a few weeks ago, he decided it would probably be easier to just put the money into our bank account and let us buy the puzzles here. So we were off to do so at the Toys R Us nearby this morning, and we found a great puzzle that we’re looking forward to the Bear busting into as soon as he wakes up from his nap. I also found something else at the Toy Store this morning, swimming in my own heart.
That’s the backstory. This is the verse:
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. (I Timothy 6:6-8)
The Toys R Us just down the road in Somerset West is probably a lot like the one down the road from you. It’s basically the same, except sometimes some of the toys here advertise themselves as having British voices, which is understandable since folks would probably prefer their toddlers to speak the way they do, rather than sound like they’re from a foreign country. Anyway.
We perused the puzzles, and also the train sets, the wagons, the games, and the little bicycles and tricycles, of which they have a nice and pricey selection. I lingered there for a bit because the Bear could probably use a new bike pretty soon, as (sadly) he is outgrowing his adorable little car. And wearing the plastic tires through. As I walked away I realised I felt guilty for not being able to buy him a little bike right now. (Even though he didn’t even notice them!) And as I pondered exactly why I might have that feeling, I realised that something’s not right if we feel guilty for not being able to buy our kids everything they want. But where does that feeling come from?
I think we do it to each other as parents in some ways — we compare what other folks have given their kids and feel like we have to at least do the same. We want our kid to be as fashionable as the next kid, and we try to put them in their best clothes when we take them out.
We are also bombarded with advertising day in and day out — TV, radio, internet, magazines, you name it — almost entirely created with the sole purpose of breeding discontentment in our hearts. Think about it — your eyelashes aren’t long enough. Your abs aren’t tight enough. Your clothes aren’t this-season enough. You want to give your kid the very best, right? Of course you do.
I’ve had lots of folks tell me they only had X number of kids because they felt that was all they’d be able to put though college. But should that really be the plumb line by which we measure our success as parents? When I was at university, the students I knew who were working their own way through school or at least helping fund their education (sorry to be honest, Mom and Dad) took their studies a lot more seriously than I did, and often seemed to be a lot more mature, balanced individuals. Don’t get me wrong — I am very thankful that my Mom and Dad paid for me to go to university — but I don’t think anyone should consider themselves less successful parents if they aren’t able to do so. (And who’s to say the Bear isn’t going to get an academic or athletic scholarship in 15 years or so — he’s on his way to Yale already!)
That was a bit of a digression, but the point I’m trying to make is that I think we can get sidetracked into measuring our success as parents by the wrong set of standards.
I have observed a certain pattern in my encounter with other kids and in my brief stint as a parent so far. I will sum it up with this: The worst thing you can do for your kids is give them everything they’ve ever wanted.
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. I would really, really, really rather raise the Bear to be thankful for the things that he has than to be happy because of the things that he has (which will eventually turn into unhappiness for the things he lacks). I feel like if I can teach him to follow Jesus and to be content with what he has in life, he is on a good start to pursuing a life that matters, rather than a life focused on the pursuit of all the things that he can’t take with him.
Well, that was a headful of thoughts based on a trip to the toy store, hey? But I’d really like to know what you think. Has that sort of guilt ever found its way to your heart? How do you handle it?
xCC
Mar 26, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories, The Good Word
I mentioned the other day that we were at an end-of-the-fiscal-month-so-nobody-move-till-we-get-paid kind of moment for the past few days. (We get paid on the 25th.) I was also talking about “coincidences” a couple weeks ago and how things come together way too often in my life for me to chalk things up to Mr. Chance any longer. And this Monday I had another one of those experiences that, here it is Friday, I’m finally getting a chance to write down and tell you about. First let me share a Scripture to explain why I want to re-tell this:
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
That was Psalm 37:3-4. So. It was an end-of-the-fiscal-month-so-nobody-move-till-we-get-paid kind of day Monday. The Bear had decided he was too cool for Sunday school the day before — meaning he wasn’t cool with getting left with the other kids in the babysitting area. Hero Hubs decided to walk him around outside for a while during church, and he spent pretty much the whole service doing just that. By the time we got home, he had little blisters on his pwecious little toes, and it was obvious it was time for new shoes. He had worn out the ones he got for Christmas with all the car-riding! But like I said, it was an end-of-the-fiscal-month-so-nobody-move-till-we-get-paid kind of week. And we wouldn’t get paid till Thursday.
The issue was, if we didn’t buy the Bear a new pair of shoes, he couldn’t go outside and ride his car, because he drags his toes to brake, and he’ll come home with bloody feet. But if he can’t ride his car, he is as bummed as the day is long. And that thought made me really sad. Going outside and riding his car is like his moment of freedom — and the boy’s a little Scottish, you know, he needs his F-RRR-EEEDOM!
So we were in a bit of a dilemma. But not for long. As we were discussing what to do about the shoe issue, I just happened to look at this card a friend had sent us a few days before that I had on display on our counter. And I just happened to notice something I didn’t see before. She’d put a sheet of stickers inside the card for the Bear, and I suddenly just happened to see some writing behind the sticker sheet, even though I’d read the card at least a couple times already. I picked the card up, looked behind the sticker sheet, and there she’d written us another wee note, and included $50. (THANK YOU, MY FRIEND!!!)
$50 will buy plenty of shoes for Bear Bear in South Africa — his next ten+ pairs!
It gets even better. On our way to buy the shoes, we prayed that the Lord would help us find them at a good price. Our finances are tight, so we were planning to be careful and make good purchases and make that $50 go a long way! So we shopped around the mall for ages and ages to try to find shoes that were the right size (challenge #1) and that weren’t a ridiculous price (challenge #2). Finally, we arrived at a store called Ackermans which has really cute baby stuff. They had a ton of shoes on their “Giveaways” (meaning decent sales) rack and I started hunting. Eventually, I found these adorable sandals (pictured below!) marked R19.00. Yes, that is 19 South African Rand. And in case you don’t happen to know the current exchange rate, ZAR19 is like $2.56!! Or £1.73!!! Or €1.93!!!!
There were several other pairs of the exact same sandals on the rack. I looked through them, and they were all marked R79.00. It was obvious we just happened to find a mis-pricing, but we asked the guy who was labeling and putting things on the racks, and he checked and said, “19 Rand.” So we were able to buy the Bear a pair of sandals, and a pair of trainers, on sale for R59.00, with a ton of cash to spare!!!
The thing about feeding on the faithfulness of God is that He works in different ways at different times. Sometimes it’s a check in the mail. Sometimes it’s a shoe on sale. Sometimes your brother reads your blog post and deposits money in your bank account!! But the faithfulness I want to feed on — the thing I want to chew on and remember over and over again, is that God is good and that He has come through for us — in different ways at different moments — but every time. That means I can trust Him. That means I can be at peace about tomorrow. Because the God who comes through for me is already there.
So I just happened to take a moment to share this with you this morning. I hope you just happen to be encouraged by it, and perhaps to believe that more often than we think, things don’t just happen. 🙂 Has anything special just happened for you this week?
Without further ado… BearBear’s new shoes!!
Here’s The (Practical Application) Sermon in a Nutshell: We’ve been recording testimonies of God’s goodness and provision in a special little journal for a while. Although we haven’t been writing them down nearly as often as we should, it is really, really encouraging to open that journal up and feed on God’s faithfulness in moments where we need encouragement. Perhaps you can start writing down things you want to remember, so you can feed on that faithfulness, too!
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