As little as possible……….

At least that’s what I told a friend I would be doing this Labor Day weekend. Three days off, no driving an hour in traffic into the city for work, no getting up before the crack of dawn, no plans to be anywhere other than church on Sunday. I was all stoked for the weekend! Gonna sit on the swing on our front porch  and get carried away in a new book while sipping on a glass of iced tea as our dogs enjoying basking in the sun laying in the front yard.

Thursday afternoon on my way home from work I received a devastating call from one of my co-workers/friends that her young daughter had let their little puppy slip away from her in the front yard as my co-worker was driving up in the driveway and the puppy was run over by her wheel. The puppy died at the vet less than an hour later and the family was crushed as was I for them, knowing how much they had come to adore the precious little bundle of joy. She was a tiny thing and they had named her Sugar because their other dog’s name is Cinnamon. This puppy had been a recent gift to the family by a friend and they had just come home from getting her last set of shots at the vet and the daughter got out with the puppy to let her pee in the grass while her Mom pulled on up into the garage. She didn’t even turn the car engine off before they were all  in the car rushing back to the vet. It breaks my heart all over again just thinking about it.

Friday at work our day was dampened with a dark cloud of sadness as we all loved on our co-worker and she was expressing how her daughter was blaming herself for the death of their sweet little Sugar. As I was talking to her later that morning, unexpectedly to me these words came out from my mouth, “how about if I come over tomorrow and bake some cookies with your daughter? Do you think that would cheer her up?” I knew that the little girl loved to bake but my mind had no intentions of any such thought! Where did that come from?! That was my thought after my co-worker walked off pleased that her daughter would have that to look forward to on Saturday!

That totally did not fit into my “as little as possible” weekend! They live on the other side of Atlanta, an hour and twenty minutes from me! I would be on that route again that I was looking forward to not traveling for the next three days!

What had just happened here? What was I thinking to even let those words slip out of my mouth? This was something honestly I really did not want to do! My co-worker left early that day without us making any final plans for the next day. So I left her a message on her cell phone that pretty much left it open for me to back out of coming but she returned my call with exclamation of an excited little girl looking forward to the next day.

I woke up to a Saturday morning with completely different plans of how my day was going to turn out and thought it would all be good just go and do this and get over my selfishness. I have learned from studying God’s Word that it’s not about me anyway. As I pulled out of the driveway I retrieved the mail that had just been delivered to our box and found a note from one of the ladies I recently served with on a Tres Dias weekend.

Here is what she had written in her note, “Bunny, you have a heart for God and a heart to serve God’s people.It is a powerful combination that will allow you to minister to many who are hurting. Don’t be afraid to let God lead you into people’s lives. He has equipped you “to go there”. So many times we see things in people’s lives but we do not say anything because we “don’t want to go there”. But God has anointed you to go. He will give you the inroads, permission, wisdom and words to bring forth healing and redemption.” 

I read that card twice at the mailbox before driving off but just as I got on the main road after soaking in what I had just read, I had to pull off the road as I began to sob, realizing what had truly taken place in this situation and how God works in ways we do not see using us in unexpected ways. My new friend from the Tres Dias weekend had no idea,I’m sure, of how God was really using her as His vessel to touch my life at the perfect moment. If God had not put that on her heart at that time she may not have written those words to me in a note.If she had sent that note at any other time it would have never made the impact on my life as it did that moment. If our mail had not been delivered at that precise time I would have not heard what He meant for me to hear before I left that day. How amazing are His plans for every aspect of our lives!

After I pulled myself together, I drove that hour and twenty minutes to my co- worker’s home with my windows down embracing the day that the Lord had made, being glad and rejoicing in it! That precious young girl came out to greet me with a hug when I pulled in their driveway and I had a wonderful afternoon with her, her Mom and her brother as I got to know the kids better, play with their  sweet dog Cinnamon, get a tour of their new home and make some very tasty toffee cookie bites! As I drove out onto the main road from their subdivision later that afternoon, I had to pull of the road as I sobbed again.

What a total God experience! I was purely humbled and blessed on a day that I had planned to do as little as possible. Thank You, Father, for using me to serve You by serving others. Thank You, Father, for using my sister in Christ to reach out to me and unknowingly impact my life in such a deep tender way on a Labor Day weekend.