This past weekend I got to experience the variety of personalities that walk into Wal-mart on a daily basis. I set up my little hippie stand with my World Race sign and my bracelets and I sat there. I sat there and smiled at people walking in and out till my cheeks were pooped. I'm not goin to lie, I felt really awkward sittin' there at the beginning; but the more people came up to ask what I was doing out there, the more I realized how cool it really was. I got to talk to people I never would have before and had conversations that challenged me and pushed me to dive deeper into my faith.
One couple I talked to really stands out in my mind. They were walking in and the lady turned and looked at me and asked what I was doing. I told her about the World Race and the ways we would be ministering. She asked me if we were taught ancient Hebrew before we left… obviously we were not. She told me she didn't believe in the church because they just believe what they are told and don't study like they should (somewhat true). We talked for thirty minutes or more about our beliefs and how they differ and why we believe what we do. She and her husband didn't believe in the new testament and I still can't exactly understand why other than something about ancient Hebrew and the direct translation of the old testament. Even though we never came to an agreement, the conversation gave me the desire to be able to back up my beliefs with scripture and it also made me grateful that I have such a freedom in Christ. Not a freedom to do whatever I want but a freedom to enjoy His love fully and completely.
One of the things we did agree on was the fact that God is the coolest. They made me watch a video… and now I'm goin to make you watch it because it's so impressive 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-NPPIeeRk
How crazyyyyyy??? I can just imagine God sitting up there smiling knowing how awesomely creative and witty He is. God is before all things and in Him all things hold together. He holds together every aspect of our lives and He does so with impressive style.
For example….
This morning I was packing for the last time before I leave the US and I was stressing. Should I bring jeans or khakis? Should I bring the green pants or the white ones? White would be cooler but they would get dirtier but green doesn't match everything.. blah blah blah. I finally just threw it all in there and told myself I would think on it some more.
Side note: I was looking to get a smaller Bible because one of my squadmates had one and I was pretty envious and the one I had was pretty big and didn't have a whole lot of meaning.
So I go into the Lee University rec center to say bye to some of my friends and there is a pile of three Bibles sitting on the desk. The one on top is tiny and perfect. I'm staring at it when one of my friends catches me and says ya know if you want any of those Bibles you can have them, we were probably going to throw them away (to which I replied.. "Who throws away Bibles???"). So, I quickly grab the perfect little NIV bible with the leather cover and I am so pumped.
Out of curiosity I open the Bible and on the first page,the previous owner had written a page number and the words, "don't worry." So I open up to page 753 and read Matthew 6:25-30.
"Therefore, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?…"
God really does hold all things together. He holds me together when I'm spazing out about things He has under control. Not only does he hold me together but He chooses to do so in a way that shows us how personally He knows us. He used someone's perfectly sized, lost Bible with a pretty leather cover to speak exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it.
