He Knows

Upon arrival in New Orleans, my girls and I were directed to our room in the yellow house.  However, upon entrance, we discovered another group had already settled there, leaving 3 remaining beds in that particular room.  And there were 7 of us. 

We were told there were 4 additional beds available in another room on the other side of the house.  But selfishly, I didn't want to be split up.  I wanted all my girls together on this last trip.  We were sad.  Incredibly sad. We all bucked up and separated into 2 groups, but in my heart, I was grieving and feeling sorry for myself.  This wasn't the way it was supposed to be.

During the hours that followed, I had the usual thoughts I always have in the first 24 hours of being away from my family:  I want to go home.  I hate it here.  Saturday can't come soon enough.  Blah, blah, blah.  Those thoughts, of course, were compounded as I wallowed in my bitterness about the room situation.  Little did I know, though, that God was once again up to something completely unexpected.

It began as small talk.  I chatted with the other leader in our room.  She was a little older than me.  Her boys were a few years ahead of mine.  I learned she was a pastor's wife.  And then her story began to unfold.  She explained that she and her husband had been in youth ministry for 17 years when the church leadership approached her husband 2 years ago and asked him to become the pastor of adult ministries. 

Are you kidding me? [for anyone who may have missed it, see this post]

I don't think I could even speak.  I think God silenced me so that all I'd do was listen. 

This woman I'd never met.
This woman I ordinarily would not have roomed with, and consequently, probably would not have had opportunity for extended conversation.
This woman who had been where I am;
who understands where I am.

She spoke of adjustment and change, joy and blessing. 
She described her continued involvement in youth ministry;
growing, stretching, letting go, and flourishing.
She spoke to me of hope and contentment.

Somewhere in there, I managed to whisper a
"Me, too.  That's just where we are."
And we hugged in understanding.
We hugged in recognition of God's gracious hand once again leading, guiding, and loving us so perfectly. 
So personally.  So completely.

Two women from the midwest finding kindredness in the central city of New Orleans;
God using one to pour courage and hope and strength into the other.

My God knows me. 
As my loving Father, He knows just what I need.
I'm blown away---completely awed---by the way He lovingly, repeatedly customizes these sweet reminders of His active involvement, active care in my life. 

When our group came together for devotions, I testified that God had taken what we viewed as a disappointing situation and worked it for good.  And not only that, despite the fact that my girls and me were in two separate rooms, God provided incredibly rich, sweet, tear-stained nights in fellowship and prayer.  As always, I'd been wrong to doubt Him; wrong to question His perfect plan.  Because as always, He knew exactly what He was doing.  And I think that's a lesson that my girls and I won't soon forget.