Tomorrow is my best friend's 30th birthday and I wanted to find her the perfect gift. Giving gifts is one of my favorite things and if anyone has read Chapman's book the 5 Love Languages, well gift giving (and receiving) is one of my favorite ways to say I love you. So I asked God what I should get her. I got this kind of weird feeling all over me and I thought I should go to Borders.
Now the instant reaction to that was, "Angie doesn't like to read! Why on earth would I go to Borders?" But then I had that feeling again and I kind of saw a picture of myself going in there. I tried to dismiss it and rationalize it and so I headed to the Christian bookstore - because they have really cute gift stuff there - I was not planning on getting her any books there either.
On my way there I was talking with one of the wonderful Godly women that the Lord has brought to my life to teach me and as we were getting off the phone I asked her to pray for me that I would find just the right gift for Angie. She prayed and asked God to make sure that when I found the right gift that I wouldn't argue with Him about it! (Man, does that lady know ME! LOL) I walked all the way through the christian bookstore, multiple times. I looked at the jewelry and the t-shirts, study Bibles and coffee mugs, and finding nothing that just really jumped out at me. Finally I settled on a little desktop daily devotional that read like they were letters directly from God to us for each day. It was really cute, but it just didn't feel right.
After I made my purchases and I was walking out of the store, a necklace caught my eye. It was really pretty, a two-toned Jesus fish with a CZ in it at the top that looks like a diamond. I stopped and looked at it and then went back and bought it with the intentions of giving it to her. Still I had this nagging feeling that I needed to go to Borders. At least it was located directly next to my next stop anyway so it was no big deal. So I headed that direction.
When I pulled in the parking lot, I asked the Lord again, "God, what are You doing in here today?" I saw a picture of myself walking into the store and heading to the right side of the store and picking something off of a shelf near the front of the store. So I got out of my car and walked in.
I headed in the direction that I had seen myself walk in the picture. When I got there I realized that the whole shelves were just filled with various types of paper products: journals, notebooks, loose leaf, notepaper and stationary. I asked Him, "God what are You doing here?" I didn't hear an answer but I felt drawn to this one particular pack of stationary. Then I thought, "This is ridiculous!" and I tried to walk away.
I didn't get more than one aisle away before I was immediately drawn back to a particular shelf. I just kind of held my hand out and let it drift over the boxes of stationary. As I got over one particular box it kind of felt like there was a magnet in it or something. So I picked it up thinking, "This is silly! Who would want stationary... And it isn't even that pretty!" Immediately my friend's prayer from earlier that morning came flooding back and I hastily picked up the box of stationary and proceeded to browse the rest of the store... Just in case the Lord came up with something better to buy for her! I didn't find a thing for her, but I found a perfect book for me!
This story is To Be Continued... Tomorrow!
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