It's more than just a coffee cup...

Do you ever sometimes wish you had reassurance from God that He is always with you and that He was listening and even taking careful notes of your every prayer?  Yes, I know scriptures say that He will never leave or forsake you and that He always hears your prayers, but do you ever really wish He himself would tell you?  I’m talking about God coming down from the clouds with a flash of lightning and BAM!, tell you everything is okay and that He still knows what you need and is working on your behalf?  I know I do. 

Today I received a gift from Megan Schimp who is an amazing friend...it was God’s version of coming down from the clouds with a flash of lightning and BAM!, giving me reassurance in every area of my life where I had doubts.  I had doubts all week wondering if I was helping others through H.O.P.E. and if I should have even started this ministry.  But her card, the card I know God told her to give me, erased every doubt I had about myself.  Her card said this…

You are a woman of strength—

More than a conqueror,

able to do all things,

a warrior and princess in the kingdom of God.

You are called to persevere,

to minister, to pray, to change the world.

The Lord has given you all you need and made you

all you need to be for victory.

So go forth, strong sister,

with a smile on your face,

a heart full of hope,

and a determination to never stop

until you receive every blessing God has for you.

Wow!  Perfect timing!  As I read what she wrote in the card, she explained that the gift in the bag (which I hadn’t seen yet) made her think of me and she knew I had to have it.  She said, “so when you drink your coffee it will be a reminder to just be still and know He’s got it!”  After reading that sentence I immediately began sobbing in my car in the parking lot of Wal-Mart (that’s where I was when I decided to open the card and gift).  I didn’t even have to look in the bag to know what gift was inside.  You see, several weeks ago, I was in Hobby Lobby purchasing some cards and small gifts to give to the women who come to the H.O.P.E. group and I spotted a coffee cup that I absolutely loved.  It first caught my attention because it was my favorite color (soft green) and it had a bird on the front.  I LOVE BIRDS.  But I loved it even more when I read the scripture… "Be still and know I am God.”  The coffee cup was $10 (I think) which doesn’t seem like a lot, but I had already been to Target (enough said), spent a fortune at the Vineyard and I was already purchasing a lot of cards at Hobby Lobby, so I didn’t have the extra money to buy something for myself.  I walked all around Hobby Lobby debating on the coffee cup before deciding to put it back on the shelf.   I wanted the coffee cup and God knew it too so He used Megan to give it to me. 

I believe God wanted me to have this coffee cup as a reminder that He will give me the desires of my heart right down to the simplest of things…He knows one of my greatest desires is to have a family and every day He wants me to just look at the coffee cup and remember to be still, know that He is God, and soon He will give me that desire as well. 

                Thank you Megan for being so obedient and letting God use you to not only encourage me to keep persevering with the H.O.P.E. ministry, but also that He loves to fulfill the desires of our hearts…even the ones we think are small.   Never be afraid to let God use you to help someone else who needs hope…

  Note:  I want to emphasize God will not give you all the desires of your heart if they might be harmful to you or others .  Your desires should be aligned with the desires of God's heart.  For example, your desire to rob a bank and be rich is obviously not God's desire for your life :)