Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Luke 12:6 NIV

His father took him to the bus, so I watched from an upstairs window to make sure he made it on time.  And from that small window in the water closet, something caught my eye.  White, red, and yellow swirled lying among the grass.  Curiosity drove me down the stairs and into the yard. I walked past the hose stretched across the yard propped up with a shepherd’s hook – a homemade sprinkler for the last days of summer. 

With bare feet I walked to the back of the yard to settle my inquisitive mind.  I walked closer and recognized those colors as a familiar doll.  Red pigtails, blue eyes, and freckles.  Her mouth forever in a smile, she lazed in the grass with arms and legs askew.  Forgotten.  Most likely her day in the yard found her swinging and barreling down the slide.  But her position suggested she had been tossed high in the air.  While she hung in the air ready to return to earth, the attention of one little four-year-old girl was stolen.  And she fell with no one to catch her.  Left in the yard to welcome night.  Forgotten. 

Stretching to pick her up, I looked at the painted smile and freckles and felt compelled to return the grin.  I walked back across the grass, feeling the prickly dry pieces poking out from under the green, a reminder that fall was near.  Turning, I surveyed the yard.  Orange cones in a line, a plastic bat and ball, and one lonely light saber all cast offs.  Forgotten. 

I looked back at the doll, dusted off dry grass, and carried her in the house. 

Lord, thank you for going out into the yard and picking me up when I have been forgotten by the world.  Even when I have to suffer through the darkness of night alone, it is You who will see me lying there and come for me.  You alone, Father, will pick me up and dust me off.  Lord, you carry me back to fellowship with you.  Thank you.  I have not been forgotten by you.  Help me to remember no matter what You will come for me.  I love you, Lord.     

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Carol

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. Psalm 77:14 NIV

For months God has been speaking to me about how powerful He is.  The word He continually brings me is POWER.  He whispers to my heart I AM.  I AM power.  I AM more than you can comprehend.  I AM bigger than you can imagine.  I AM bigger than your boxes.  I AM.  I don’t intentionally place my God in a box, I’m sure you don’t either.  But when I pretend I know how God can solve my problems or answer my prayers, I do. 

“God, you could do this and all would be solved.”  Or “I know God, I have a great idea.  How about this?”

I’m a fairly certain He gets chuckle out of my small and shortsighted solutions.  Nevertheless, He listens.  While I focus on my miniature conclusion, God is preparing a grand finale.  It’s like comparing sparklers to the fireworks show at Disney World – no comparison. 

I’ve attempted to pray BIG in my supplication to the Lord.  But it’s so easy to fall back into the mindset my small brain can wrap around and offer solutions I can see and comprehend.

In October, Amy and I will be traveling to New Mexico to the Glorieta Christian Writer’s Conference.  We are teaching a workshop on journaling and a footnote session on time management.  I’ve been praying over the details of the trip.  You may remember the incredible story of last year’s journey.  God has paved the way for us to attend this year, as well.  Last week, Amy called to ask me about booking our plane tickets.  Our personal travel planner (her husband Greg) told us he had a companion fare ticket we could use.  That way we could split the price of one ticket.  There was just one problem.  Delta had not opened any companion fare seats for the flight we needed.  And it was the only non-stop flight from Atlanta to Albuquerque.  The tickets were quite expensive $$$!

We were going to have to book a different airline, which was going to require a layover.  Not a really big deal in the grand scheme of things, but a detail we would have liked to avoid.  I asked Amy to let me pray over it.  All week, I offered it to God telling Him I would certainly accept it if He wanted us on the layover flight but praying He would open the companion fare seats.  Friday, Amy called to tell me we needed to go ahead with the plans to book the flight.  She would call me when Greg got the flight booked.

Saturday morning, I got a call about the tickets, but it wasn’t from Greg or Amy.  My brother called me Saturday morning to tell me he would like to purchase my ticket with his frequent flyer miles.  A couple of days before, my sister-in-law Kim asked me if I had booked the tickets for my trip yet.  I explained the predicament with the seats and told her we were waiting for them to get cheaper or for the companion fare seats to open.  She casually mentioned to my brother the high cost of the tickets and how I was waiting for them to go down.  End of discussion.  The next day, my brother just so happens to get his frequent flyer statement. 

The next thing I know, he is calling me to offer to get my tickets.  After coordinating flights with Amy, my brother got the tickets.  He called me to tell me where I was sitting – first class!!!  None of these details were coincidental, each of them were orchestrated by God.

Y’all, God is so good.  I was praying for a half price ticket, and God was preparing me a first class seat.  He used my sister-in-law and my brother to complete His plan.  I am a girl today with a grateful heart.  Grateful for a big brother who still watches out for his little sister and grateful for an even BIGGER God.  A God who is all powerful.  A God who cannot be put in a box.  A God who is first class.

Are you putting God in the box about a situation in your life?  There is NO limit to what God can do?  Sit and think on that one a minute.  God can do anything.  Just give Him your sparklers, and He’ll turn them into the fireworks grand finale!

Carol

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Carol

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Carol

Carol