Nothing like leaving the packing to the last minute! Caden was leaving for a week at Lakeside Bible Camp and I didn't know where the sleeping bag was, or if we even had one anymore. And finding an old suitcase that could get beaten up, dirty or wet would certainly be helpful, too!
But who could I ask? Where could I borrow one or both? I started racking my brain so we'd avoid making a quick but expensive trip to Outdoor Emporium to outfit him for camp.
"Go to the Goodwill on 128th," said a voice in my head.
Of course, Goodwill. That was a good plan. And it occurred to me that God actually did have a plan and he knew where the things were that I needed for Caden. I felt assured as I pulled out of the driveway.
Opening the glass front doors of Goodwill, I quickly scanned the store for the sporting goods aisle. "Okay, God, where is the sleeping bag?" I looked down one aisle and nothing, but in my spirit, I knew it was there and I just needed to find it. So, I turned the corner to the next row, and boom, there is was. Green. Rolled up with elastic loops. Just the right size. Perfect for Caden.
Sleeping bag - check.
Next stop was the suitcase aisle and sitting there waiting for me was a just what I needed: a not-new but perfectly adequate blue suitcase. Just the right size again and the perfect price at $3.99. Who says God can't bargain shop?
Suitcase - check.
In less than 10 minutes, I walked out with what I needed for Caden at the very reasonable total of $15 and even more importantly, I took with me the certainty that God was involved in the details - right down to the available inventory at Goodwill. I knew that God had gone before me because I had put my trust in him.
I must admit, however, that I had felt a kind of desperation, even a bit of panic, just 60 minutes earlier when I didn't know where I'd find a sleeping bag or suitcase and I might have to shell out a bunch of money to get what Caden needed. In that worried place, I was forced to trust God. Not that I wasn't willing to trust him but when I realized it was really my only option, there was a freedom that ensued and carried me all the way to the Goodwill checkout line.
This Sunday morning, Renée Sundberg will begin the new sermon series, "Messages from the Heart" with a favorite verse: 2 Corinthians 3:17. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." As I thought about this verse, the words rang true to me a new way. The freedom to trust was real because the Spirit was there when he sent me to Goodwill. No need to rely on my own problem-solving skills. I was with the Spirit - and was free to simply retrieve what I needed.
As I journey in life as child of God and a parent of kids, I can access this trust and resulting freedom all the time. So, why don't I?!! Probably because it's hard! But when I see God at work like this even in little ways, it definitely becomes a lot easier and the trust starts to grow. Earl Palmer (for those of you who remember this beloved pastor) said that faith is "putting your weight on the downhill ski" - or in other words - trust in the trustworthiness of Jesus Christ.
I felt that strongly in the aisles of Goodwill of all places.
So, as Sayuko and I share Psalm 34:10-14 with Union Kids this Sunday, I hope you'll also be encouraged that "those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing". Even if that good thing consists of a simple green sleeping bag and someone's old rolling suitcase that are perfect for a boy going off to Bible camp.
Psalm 34:10-14 (NLT)
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.