Making This New Year the Happiest EVER!

Lord, Lord, Lord…

You are so KIND to me!!!

I went to a luncheon today with lots of women!!! (As You know, we do this once a month, to “network” and encourage each other).

There were at least eighty women there today — some I know well and love dearly… some I met today for the first time… others were there today and I still did not meet them! Oh well… there’s always next month!  🙂

Each year, January’s program is not a special speaker… it is an open forum made up of 30-second announcements by anyone who wants to say anything to those present. Many of the members are small business owners, who used today’s opportunity to announce the latest news about their products or services.

You moved me to make a different kind of announcement. First, You prompted me to ask a question: “How many of you consider yourselves a Survivor of something?”  Almost everyone raised their hand. So You had me say this:

“I feel moved to offer you a word of encouragement today, as we all enter this New Year. 

You are each so beautiful and so unique!  I encourage you to remember that you have each been given unique gifts and talents, and entrusted with unique resources and a sphere of influence unlike anyone else in the whole Universe.

If you have not yet discovered Your God-given purpose, you have one… and I pray this will be the year you discover it!  If you already know it, I pray you will walk in it this year as never before!  And I pray that the Lord will bless each of you this year with everything that is most precious to Him!”

I don’t know who needed to hear that today, Lord… perhaps I will never know the fullness of why You had me say those things today. The fact that You asked me to speak is enough for me.

What happened next took my breath away!  The group’s leader decided to give some money away in honor of the group’s eighth anniversary. They picked eight raffle tickets… each of which would receive $10.00 cash (the cost of today’s lunch).  You had them pick my number!!!

As the meeting went on, some 25 door prizes were awarded.  You had them pick my number again!!!  The prize could not have been more perfect for me… a collection of matted photographs and related note cards, bearing close-up images of flowers (like the very ones I love to take, as an amateur photographer)!

As if that were not enough, they then drew three numbers… each of which would receive $50.00.  You had them pick my number yet again!!!  The three winners were each given the microphone, so we could (again) say anything we wanted. So I said:

“I would just like to thank the Lord for His kindness to me today!”

Precious Lord… I know You are not like a “genie in a bottle.”  I know that saying “yes” to You does not always result in immediate, visible blessings.  Sometimes the opposite is true… and we have to take the long (eternal) view.  Obedience to You always results in blessings… though we might not discover some (perhaps even most) of them until we stand face-to-face with You.

But today, You blessed my socks off… just because You could!!!

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'”  (Lamentations 3:22-24)

Thanks, Daddy!  🙂

Love & hugs,

Abba’s Girl

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