God-Winks

I believe in "God-winks" - those moments that God sends little reminders that He is concerned with all the tiny details of your life and loves you very much. I have seen a whole lot of God-winks in the past three months, and I thought I'd share a couple of them with you. I've already shared some, and you can find them by searching my posts for "God-wink" labels.

TAKING CARE OF THE SMALL STUFF
We're not supposed to sweat the small stuff, because God already has it covered. Here's a fine example of that...

When Daddy was in ICU in January, Scott and I were working every day while trying to see Daddy as much as possible. It's difficult to work around those ICU visiting hours, and we didn't want Mom to get worn out staying at the hospital all the time, so we developed a schedule. We all know how boring the hospital can be, so we made it a point to have someone there to see Daddy at every visitation time to brighten up his day a little. One day, none of us could be there at one of the visitation times. (I can't remember why, but I remember that there really was NO way to work it out.) I was so sad that Daddy wouldn't have any visitors. Later, we found out that his friend, Chuck, had come to see him during that time. That warmed my heart! When we couldn't be there, God supplied the person to fill that need. And we didn't even ask God to do it! Total God-wink moment, y'all. Amen!

I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO
On March 5, I'd been awakened really early in the morning by a frantic phone call from my Mom saying that Daddy was being put back on the ventilator. I'd rushed to the ER and spent most of the morning at Daddy's bedside watching him and thinking he wasn't going to make it. I'd spent my entire day at the hospital and I was exhausted. Thinking about the road ahead didn't help at all, and honestly - I was a little scared. On my way home late that night, I heard "Mountain of God" by Third Day. These are the lyrics:

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

As I travel on the road
That You have led me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there 
To bring me back again

Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

WOW! What an amazing TIMELY reminder that God will carry me through this valley! God didn't promise us an easy life, but He DID promise that He will be with us through the hard stuff. And He made sure that I heard that song at just the right moment. Amen!

As if it couldn't get any better, after that song, KLOVE played the Encouraging Word of the Day: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14:1

I felt like that was a personal memo to me from God - "TRUST in ME". Hello, God-wink! That verse was brought to mind (and sight) several times during Daddy's illness and death. No coincidence, y'all! God wanted me to REMEMBER that I am to TRUST in HIM and not worry about the details. I can honestly say that losing my Daddy is the hardest thing I've ever been through, but I NOT ONE TIME felt like I was alone. In fact, I had peace; an incredible, overwhelming, precious peace that only God can provide. What a GIFT!