3:12 p.m. Today's project was to join my sisters in the Lord for a heartfelt, hilarious and raucus housewarming party for our friend Pat in her lovely mobile home. She was moved to tears, so blessed! As a"sweetener" from the Lord, I was forced to walk about a quarter mile from the visitor lot to her space!! (So no need to go out in the cold with Steve and the dogs right now!)
A few minutes before I arrived, I took a few minutes to talk to my son Kriss outside of a Hallmark store so isolated that I felt a wave of pity and bought my gift bag there instead of at the Super Target at the far end of the parking lot. "I'm in between a planning meeting at church," adding, tongue -in-cheek, "and with my sorry life as a retiree, I'm now off to a party!!" [This was at 11:00 a.m.!] God is good, and this part of life is a reward for the hard years of work and childrearing. I enjoy looking back, but I enjoy looking forward much more, because God is the One who has my life all laid out, and He does not mess up or mess around!
A few weeks ago I had a shocking and discouraging disappointment that caused me to seek counsel from wise sisters and then, with much prayer, came acceptance and the will to go forward. But it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself Who came alongside me.
The first night after I got the news was not even sleepless, mercifully, but restful. The second night, the Lord gave me a dream; actually, I would characterize it as a vision, and I am not one to experience such things, other than in the broad meaning of "having a vision for" a work or a ministry, that kind of thing. But as I shared from Acts 2:27-29 and Joel 2:28-29 a few days ago about Steven, I believe God still speaks in visions and dreams today.
In the dream, I was hosting a large wooden booth in a kind of downtown fair in Riverside, with an assortment of knick-knacks to sell. At one point, all of us vendors took a walk to see a new park that was opening, strolling down Mission Inn Ave. For the quick walk, the only thing I took was my cell phone. It started to drizzle, so I turned back, thinking about my purse that I'd left in the booth.
When I returned, my purse was gone, and not only that, but the shelves of the booth had been swept clean!! In my horror and disappointment, the Lord's voice came to me so clearly, "MY DAUGHTER, I HAVE SOMETHING SO MUCH BETTER FOR YOU!"
Upon waking, the vividness of the dream and the Lord's voice reassured me, allowed me to fully accept the new paradigm, and to go forward joyfully. I don't know what the "better" thing is, but God does. I'm ready to trade in trinkets for diamonds, while appreciating what He gives me today and grateful for every moment I'm breathing and moving.
Jesus is the Gift--His work is His glory!!
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