God Is Just Too Cool!!

October is such a beautiful month. The crisp air, the cool breezes, the chilly mornings, the changing colors. October was always Greg’s favorite month of the year. He would always take some of his vacation time during this month so that he could spend time enjoying the outdoors. Whether he was biking, hiking, doing yard work, or just sitting on the front porch, he loved October!

But for me, October has become a very hard month. In October 2011, Greg was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. In October 2012, we learned that the melanoma had returned. And in October 2013, the Lord took Greg home. So, here we are in October 2014. I have struggled some this month. Struggled with sadness, struggled with loneliness, struggled with feelings of hopelessness and insecurity, struggled with memories….both sad memories and sweet memories.

Tomorrow, three years ago, was the day that literally changed our lives. It was on October 10, 2011 that we heard the words “malignant melanoma” and our lives were turned upside down. So yes, I’ve been a bit down lately. And once again, God shows up! He shows up to let me know that He loves me, that He sees me, that He knows my pain, that He is FOR me, and that He has not forgotten me!

This morning as I was having my quiet time, I picked up one of my daily devotion books. My marker had come out of the book, so I wasn’t really sure where I was, so I just “randomly” chose a spot to pick back up at. One of the verses that I read just really spoke to what I was feeling and I felt so encouraged by it. As a matter of fact, it encouraged me so much that I sent it to two of my friends that are also grieving the loss of their husbands. I told them that I was praying that verse for them today. It’s a verse that I’ve read many, many times before. But the Lord knew that I needed it today! It’s Romans 15:13 which says: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fast forward to this afternoon…
I get the mail out of the mailbox and have a card from a sweet friend (a different friend than the two mentioned above). The card itself was such an encouragement, but God had even more for me! In the card, she wrote such an encouraging note. She said that she wished she knew the right words to say that would bring comfort to my heart. And then, guess what scripture verse she referenced at the bottom of the card??? Yep……Romans 15:13!! Talk about comfort for my heart!! I love that I was praying that verse for others and she was praying the exact same verse for me!! She may not have known the right words, yet the Lord did and He used her to say them to me! I told you that God is just too cool!!

In the famous words of my friend, “But wait….there’s more!” I sent a message to my friend telling her how much the card meant to me and how the Lord had used her. I told her that I was thankful that she had heard the Spirit tell her to send me a card and to mention that verse. I told her that because of her obedience, I was blessed!! What she then told me just made me shake my head at God’s goodness, His attention to detail and His timing. She told me that she had put this card in the mailbox on Saturday, but it didn’t get picked up. So she took it to the post office on Monday. I didn’t get the card until today….Thursday! How’s that for God’s perfect timing. He knew that I needed that card not on Monday or Tuesday or even Wednesday. He knew that I would read that verse on Thursday and He wanted me to hear it again in that card on that same day! Like I said, God loves me, He sees me, He knows my pain, He is FOR me and He has not forgotten me!!

Yep….that’s the God I serve and He is just TOO cool!!!

Trusting His Plan,
Sandra