Good, God-things

Have you ever had someone say something that stuck out to you or do something that stuck with you?

People say things, sometimes in passing and don’t even remember what they said, yet you grab a hold of it and use it as inspiration to achieve a dream or apply it to a situation.  Perhaps an act of kindness that you desperately needed came from someone out of the blue and it changed your outlook on life.  Maybe someone does something that probably means nothing to him but it’s exactly what you needed in that moment or circumstance.

I like to call these good, God-things.

One Christmas break was extremely hard for me because I had to do something with my family that was very difficult.  My friend didn’t really know what I was going through.  We were texting back and forth about our breaks, just a simple, friendly conversation.  It meant a lot to me, though.  Yes, I dealt with the family issue as best I could, but I was able to be healthfully distracted from it with the texts.  When I got a chance, I’d look at my phone and, more times than not, there was a message waiting.  Good timing.  Instead of wallowing about my circumstances, I was usually laughing at what was sent.  I needed the laughs.  They’ll probably never know how helpful that was.  It was a good, God-thing.

After venting to a friend and on the verge of tears, my best friend “stole” my car and filled the tank.  I was able to tell say thank you, luckily, yet the gift was almost unbelievable to me.  Doing that relieved a lot of stress.  Giving such a gift would have never crossed my mind but now it will never leave my mind.  Our friendship is definitely a good, God-thing as well as the blessing given.

Today at work, a sweet, older gentleman named John came to my office (yep, I have my own office/work space!) to fix my phone.  He is always nice and gives high-fives (a lot) and then wishes me a blessed day when he departs.  Last time I spoke with him, I told him that I wanted to go two-steppin’ sometime.  He asked if I had gone out today.  Not yet.  He persisted to warn me about guys and told me to be careful, to “tread lightly” because guys are smooth talkers.  I didn’t tell him that I’m kinda oblivious when it comes to things like that, so I’m not too worried – another day, another blog post – but I told him I would be careful and thanked him.  The conversation continued, heavy with genuineness.  He made some statements about marriage, guys, and faith that I needed to hear and think about.  His visit was one of many good, God-things today!

Whether big or small, lots of “things” can be deemed good, God-things.  There are countless instances that happen everyday.  It depends on perspective and attitude.  It’s not always easy.  I get hurt, especially by the people whom I care for and try to invest in.  There have been lots of times when I pray along these lines: “God, I do not understand why I went through that!  Please give me a glimpse now and in the future as to why.”  If it involves another person, I tack on, “show them the good, too.” 

In the end, whether I know about it in this life or not, I want to be the instrument of a good, God-thing for someone else and continue to thank God for providing them for me.