God is Good

Some things happened yesterday that I want to write about. I want to thank God for thinking of me and my family, and for providing everything we need and for surprising me with things I didn't know I needed. After we came back from the store, I was unloading groceries. I happened to go out to the mailbox to get the mail as a beautiful young girl was walking her dog past my house. She walked by and was already to the neighbor's house when she stopped and turned around. I thought she was just going to say hi.

She floored me. She said that she wanted to stop and thank me. She said that I had come to her middle school class and talked to them about waiting to have sex until you are married, and that we gave out little keys (key to represent commitment to yourself to be pure and it is something to give your spouse on your wedding day). Well, she said that it had meant a lot to her that we had come and talked to them, and that she would never forget it. She also said she noticed that I and my family lived here and had been meaning to stop and tell me thank you for a long time. You have to understand. This is a tall, dark-haired beautiful college student. What she is talking about had to be at least 5 years ago, something I had already forgotten.

My friend and I had gone for a number of years in a row to a local middle school to talk to them about purity.We told them how much they were worth, how valuable it would be to wait until marriage to have sex. We told them about our own lives and mistakes, and maybe this made a difference. One thing I will always regret is having sex before I was married. But one thing I told all those classes that I am proud of is that my husband and I decided to wait until we got married to have sex. Now this was a very hard thing for me and a miracle that we made it over a year, but it was important to us and our commitment to each other and God that we make a fresh start with our relationship. You have to understand, I was 16 when I became sexually active, and I was 24 when I got married. It is very difficult to just stop something that has become a regular part of your lifestyle, but with God' s help we did it. In between 16 & 24 I had a lot of grief and heartache and inner turmoil because of the things I was doing. Maybe this part of my life that I shared with that girl's class is what affected her. I will maybe never know. I was just being honest and caring for those kids. I remember what it felt like to be in middle school, the desperateness of wanting someone to want you. Anyway, God knew I needed that boost, to know that things that I have done for Him and for others for good are having a good effect.

It is like planting a seed in the garden. The blooming time depends on the seed. If you plant irises or daffodil bulbs in the fall, they don't bloom overnight. You have to wait until the spring to see what the flowers look like, and then you worry that it might not bloom. Maybe you planted in bad soil, or it didn't rain too much, or maybe you picked a spot that is too shady. It is like this girl to me. Apparently my friend and I planted some good seeds, and they had good soil, they were watered enough and they had just the right amount of sunshine. I am proud of this young girl. I pray that her life will be blessed by her decisions to be pure in thoughts and body.

And that is only one thing that happened. At the end of the day, a friend gave me a big garbage bag full of hand-me downs from her daughter. I was so surprised. Everything she gave me were things that Dancer Girl needed. I love it when things like that happen. It is like going shopping and coming home with new things, only I didn't have to go shopping. God brought the things right to my doorstep (figuratively). I want to say thank you to God. I am so happy that He did these things for me yesterday. It reminds me that He is thinking of me everyday, and like every parent, He likes to surprise His children with good things. It reminds me of His love and mercy at a time when I am feeling undeserving of His love. He loves me despite how I act. His forgiveness and joy for me are apparent. He is saying, this is what kind of parent I want you to be.....

and I say, "Ohhhhh"