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But God had a plan…<\/p>\n
Last weekend, my family and I decided to take a little mini getaway to the Winston-Salem, NC. Nothing special \u2013 just a getaway to an old town we\u2019ve never been to before.<\/p>\n
(yes that is my husband doing a handstand on some random cool bridge in Old Salem…#BigKid)<\/p>\n
I guess you could say that\u2019s our nerdy side. My husband and I love historical sites and old timey movies, documentaries, and even black and white television shows. I\u2019ll admit sometimes I just like to sleep while my husband watches old westerns. Ha ha My husband loves them a little more than I do, but I love any excuse to get away from a weekend.<\/p>\n
What we didn\u2019t plan on was a fussy baby, crazy traffic with 1 way roads on every corner, and bitter cold weather. Our sunny and 75 dropped down to about 40 and windy. Needless to say, it wasn\u2019t the best trip.<\/p>\n
But GOD had a plan\u2026<\/p>\n
Through all the arguing, complaining, and whining about the cold weather, God had a plan.<\/p>\n
He knew exactly what we needed.<\/p>\n
While walking downtown in freezing weather\u2026after a steep half mile hike uphill with a 17lb baby in my arms\u2026we walked past a homeless man sitting on the side of the road begging for money. The man was smiling and happy despite the cold weather and simply asking for 75 cents to get a newspaper. My mind automatically started to wonder so many things like if he truly needs the money, why is he homeless, and how did he end up that way? Then again, my mind raced into why can\u2019t he work? Could he not work at the coffee shop he\u2019s sitting in front of? What about McDonalds? I mean, couldn\u2019t he find something to do?<\/p>\n
But then I had to stop myself and remember\u2026I\u2019m not God\u2026and I don\u2019t and will never have all the answers. Occasionally we need to remind ourselves this.<\/p>\n
Why this man was homeless is not the question I should have been worried about.<\/p>\n
Instead, I should\u2019ve been thinking how can I help this man? Does he know Jesus? How can I pray for him?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not my place to know his life story. It\u2019s my place, as a follower of Christ, to care for him, pray for him, and share Christ\u2019s love with him.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t imagine sitting on the street homeless with no family, no friends, no job, and begging for money. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve never had to deal with, but I have been close to losing everything.<\/p>\n
When my husband and I first got married, I got laid off from my job 8 weeks before my wedding. I had planned an expensive crazy wedding (I highly recommend not doing this and keeping it simple) that my husband and I were paying for, and I had just bought a new car shortly after my husband had just bought a new truck. Overall, we were in over our heads. When I lost my good paying job unexpectedly, we suddenly had to downsize everything and cut corners wherever and however we could. It was not fun.<\/p>\n
It was terrible for almost newlyweds but we had to do what we had to do just to survive. We sold the truck, cut back ALL excess spending, and asked for help from family just to survive until we got back on our feet and I could find a new job. When I look back, those care packages from our families were some of the best gifts we\u2019ve ever received. We were young and struggling, but God had a plan and those tough months grew us closer together than any amount of money could.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t easy. Harder than that, we had to \u201chumble\u201d ourselves and ask for help before we let the struggle overwhelm us.<\/p>\n
The Bible says that Jesus was \u201chumble.\u201d He wasn\u2019t a filthy rich business man walking around taking everyone\u2019s money and building His earthly kingdom. Instead, he was \u201chumble.\u201d He started out as a carpenter, walked the streets with everyone else, and even called on the fishermen and common men to be His disciples. He didn\u2019t draw attention to Himself with materialistic things; instead, God drew mankind to Him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHumble yourselves, therefore, under God\u2019s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.\u201d 1 Peter 5:6<\/em><\/p>\n Freezing my tail off in my warm winter boots, gloves, and heavy coat; I had no right to complain. This man was smiling and doing what he could to survive. On the way back down the street my husband handed the man $5 and asked him if he knew Jesus Christ. Before he could answer, he smiled. Then the homeless man preached the Gospel to us better than most Christians can. Despite his past, despite his current situation, he knew his future was in God\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n I praise God for showing us how to be humble, reminding us of His Glory, and placing just the right people in our paths each day.<\/p>\n \u201cBe completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.\u201d Ephesians 4:2<\/em><\/p>\n May God Bless you and Show you His Grace every day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" But God had a plan… Last weekend, my family and I decided to take a little mini getaway to the Winston-Salem, NC. Nothing special \u2013 just a getaway to an old town we\u2019ve never been to before. (yes that is my husband doing a handstand on some random cool bridge in Old Salem…#BigKid) I guess … Continue reading But God had a plan<\/span>