Adventures Are Lessons Just Waiting To Be Taught
No Matter Where We Travel To When God Wants To Teach Us Something We’re Going To Get The Lesson
If you’re looking for God these days, you’re bound to find him. It seems we’re always so busy. Even though we’re all desperately trying to find an answer for what our world is going through right now, some of us still haven’t learned that the true “answer” is found in the day-to-day. In fact, He’s found in the EVERY DAY and the EVERYWHERE. We can’t escape him, especially when He’s trying to get our attention. Our adventures are lessons that God sends us on so He can teach what He needs us to learn.
Sometimes, when our minds are set in a certain thinking pattern, that He wants to change in us, He will show up in the least likely places. Even when we travel 15 hours from our homes. He WILL show up and you’ll learn the lesson you were meant to be taught.
Negativity is so rampant! My goodness, it’s in the news, social media, it’s even in our own homes amongst our loved ones. It seems like it’s everywhere these days. It’s almost like we’ve lost sight of what’s most important. In a crazy weird, way this chaos that we’re going through, right now with the Coronavirus, is in a roundabout way bringing us back to our roots and giving us a firm foundation again.
I have two extremely cynical family members. When I’ve asked them in the past if they believe the world is a bad place full of bad people they always reply with a big, fat YES! Every time.
I emphatically disagree.
Fearful Mindsets Will Make You A Prisoner And Hold You Captive
If you watch the news 24/7, which I used to do, then yes you will believe the world is a dangerous place full of hardened criminals just waiting for you to leave your home so that they could rob you and steal all your belongings.
Or worse yet, your fearful mindset stays is a place of thinking you’re always on the verge of being harmed, leaving you to figure out how you are going to recover from the trauma and get on with your life. You become a prisoner to a negative merry-go-round of thoughts.
While I do believe there are people out there that wish us harm and will hurt us if, given the opportunity, I believe more strongly that the world is full of really good people. Folks who just want to live their lives in a positive way helping others and just show kindness.
I’ve traveled around this great big beautiful country, even outside the U.S., and I wholeheartedly believe love trumps hate and good trumps evil. Every time.
Case in point. While visiting New Mexico several years ago, where my husband was working at the time, I needed to drive up to Albuquerque to get a new phone because mine had broken.
On this particular day, on my way from our campground in Belen, New Mexico (which is a good 35-minute drive), I stopped on the outskirts of Albuquerque at a gas station to fill up and get a drink. I might go ahead and add here that when I travel alone I am very cautious and careful. Traveling alone as a woman I am constantly aware of my surroundings. My husband has instilled in me to always pay attention in case I run into a situation that warrants quick action.
God Will Place You In Situations In Order To Teach You The Lesson You Are Supposed To Learn
It was early morning and while I pumped the gas, I noticed a man walking from car to car asking for money. He was with his wife and baby. Unfortunately, their car was out of gas. I overheard him say that they needed to get to Socorro, New Mexico. Socorro was at least another good hour from where we were.
I watched him walk from person to person and prayed that he would not come over to me. Watch out what you pray for because sometimes God has a different idea in mind for you.
With a sincere smile, the man walked over to me, and politely asked if I could spare any money for him and his family to buy some gas.
I quickly said I didn’t have any cash on me. It was being honest. I didn’t have any cash on me AT ALL. That part was true. But I did have my debit card.
Again with utter politeness, he said “Thank you and God bless you” and then he walked away.
While I finished pumping my own gas I wondered if this was a scam or did they REALLY need gas money.
My heartstrings got yanked and I mean YANKED! I opened my console where I found a bunch of change and filled my hands and walked over to the man. I told him that this was all I had but he was welcome to it. Again he said, “Thank you and God bless you.”
It’s In The Little Things Where Adventure Lives
That little bit of change just didn’t seem like it was enough. Not just enough for him, but enough for God. Was I doing God’s work? Was I doing what God asked me to do? My head told me, YES but my heart was impressing upon me NOT.
I paid at the pump but something pulled me into the actual gas station. When I got inside there was a line of people waiting to donate their money to this man’s cause.
When it was my turn at the window, I told the clerk I wanted to give the man five more dollars. The two men in front of me were each giving him ten dollars.
God Uses Strangers Sometimes As Messengers To Teach Us The Lessons
While I waited in line, the young man in front of me and I started discussing the act of giving. He said these words to me that I’ll never forget.
He said, “My mom always told me never to judge others. And when I give something to someone I am to let it go and not worry about what they’re going to do with it. What they do with the gift is between them and God. And our giving from our hearts is between us and God.”
Wow. Just wow.
Keep in mind that although this young man was around my son’s age, I couldn’t believe the wisdom coming from this young soul’s words. I was impressed with knowing that there is a generation younger than my own that still believes in God. And that still believes in giving from the heart. I wanted to pat him on the back or hug him or something but I chose to just tell him I agree and that his mother raised him right.
As I walked back to my car the man who needed the gas money came up to me with a smile and said, “Thank you.”
Was it a scam? Was it the actual truth? Who knows. And really who cares. The truth is that it is between him and God. It is also the truth that my giving and the tugging at my heartstrings were between ME and GOD!!!! No one else.
As for my two negative family members I chose NOT to tell them about my experience mostly because I just didn’t feel like listening to the negative feedback I would receive. I wanted to revel in the goodness that I witnessed and just enjoy the fact that I was right. There is more goodness in the world than there is bad.
Let us always remember this young man’s mother’s words…
“My mom always told me never to judge others. And when I give something to someone I am to let it go and not worry about what they’re going to do with it. What they do with the gift is between them and God. And our giving from our hearts is between us and God.“
I still believe, today, that there is more goodness in this world than we can even imagine. And because we’ve read our Bibles and know how the story ends…we know that evil loses the battle. We should have peace about that. That alone should give us the strength to continue the good fight in life. We should be encouraged to travel around this beautiful world that we’re living in and spread kindness as often as we can.
