It all began on my morning run. I had been somewhat concerned about running so early, when it was still pretty dark out, but I had seen some other ladies running solo, so I figured I too would be okay. Lawrence agreed that I should be fine as long as I took my cell phone along and made sure to stay on the lighted roads (no running down the trails near our house). On this particular morning my knees were reminding me that I have already had three surgeries, so I figured I should do a shortened version of my somewhat normal route. I decided to cut through a sub-division, still staying on a well-light path, and so I made the left turn. As soon as I did, a red truck turned as well. I thought it pretty strange for a vehicle to be entering a sub-division at just past 5 in the morning, as most people are leaving to go to work, not returning from it. The truck didn't slow down, and I kept a close eye on "him." When the truck made a quick turn into a driveway not too far ahead of me, I had second thoughts about my short-cut, did a 180, and booked it back to the main road and told my knees they would have to be strong this morning. I continued on my typical path and was feeling better, until I saw a red truck pass me once more. I know there is more than 1 red truck in Liberty, but this particular truck appeared eerily similar to the one I had seen just minutes earlier. I kept going, trying my best to take note of the truck's features should I see it again. Sure enough, on the third "leg" of my run, there "he" was! This time, after he passed, I watched him turn right and head towards the Community Center. I didn't take my eye off the truck until it had turned again, and I made sure it wasn't doing a loop to come back! I rounded my last major corner and started to head home, thinking I would walk the last part, when I got to my sub-division, to give my knees a break and cool down a bit. But then, as soon as I made my final turn, the red truck was right there!!!! Seriously?!!! Thankfully, another car was coming from the other direction, so I crossed the street and decided that maybe I would just sprint home instead. When I got safely inside, I was shaking as I told my story to Lawrence.
Yeah, I went to the gym yesterday. I hate, hate, hate running on a treadmill, but I'd rather feel like a hamster and be safe than enjoy the fresh air only to end up a victim.
God definitely had my back!!! After seeing the truck the first time, I prayed for God to keep me safe, and even asked if He could make it look like there was a big, strong guy running next to me should anyone try to do anything to me. Who knows? Maybe He did. Maybe He didn't. All I know is that He got me home in one piece!
The craziness continued when one of my daycare parents informed me that her child would be leaving. Apparently, when they were looking for daycare, the place they wanted was full, but now an opening had become available. And it's cheaper, so financially they needed to make the change. I totally understand. We count pennies too. Which is why I was somewhat discouraged. Losing a daycare kiddo meant losing a significant part of our income -- like gas and groceries for the month!
Before the red truck appeared the first time, I was actually praying for God to provide for some of my friends who don't have a stable, predictable income. I also thanked Him for taking care of us so faithfully this past year and bringing the daycare kids to us, so that we could actually pay all our bills and put a little bit in savings each month! I asked Him to help me remember, though, that we are still completely and fully dependent on Him, that I shouldn't forget how we truly NEED Him.
I guess He took me literally and wanted to test if I really meant what I had prayed, for just over an hour later, I got the news about my daycare kiddo leaving.
The day was just beginning! I was supposed to host our play group that morning, and minutes before my friend arrived with her "troops" (she also does in-home daycare), I received a call from the Children's Division. The supervisor wanted to know if I would be willing and available to watch a little boy -- just for the day -- while his foster parents took their other kids to some prearranged meetings. Sure, why not? And so, Little Man arrived about 10 minutes later, just as my playgroup friends pulled into the driveway. I asked what the baby's name was (he was 7 months old), and they didn't know. The mom hadn't been able to tell them!!! So sad. Well, we loved on him all day. Coralyn even helped me feed him his bottle and made sure he always had a toy.
In the midst of the chaos of having around 10 children ages 3 and under run around your living room, I was able to share with one of the moms about my daycare situation. I asked her to pray for us, as we again looked to God to come through for us, as He always does. We didn't have much time to talk and before long, we were "cleaning up" and saying good-bye.
That afternoon, when I was finally able to take a deep breath and relax for a second while the kiddos took their naps (or in Coralyn's case, "rested" in her room), my cell phone rang. It was Paula, my friend from playgroup. Someone had just called her about daycare, but she doesn't have any openings. She wanted to know if it was alright to give them my contact information. I am pretty particular in who I watch, as I want to be on the same schedule as Lawrence. Hence, I only take care of teachers' kids. Well, wouldn't you know it. This lady was the librarian at one of the elementary schools in Liberty!!! Perfect! YES, give her my name and number!!!
Seconds later, the phone rings again. It's the librarian!!! That was fast... I told Megan a little bit about myself and my daycare. She needed to talk with her husband, who was out of town, and then would get back with me to set up a time to come over and meet me. Great!!!
The story gets even better, though. God wanted to make sure I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that He was involved in all this, arranging the details perfectly, as only He can do. Yesterday, as I was attempting to get supper on the table and wondering where Lawrence was (he was running late after a meeting, which I didn't know at the time), my cell phone rang once more. It was Joy, my friend from church. She was calling to let me know that her friend had called asking if I would be a good daycare provider. She had gone to school with Megan back in the day and thought she was a teacher or her husband was a teacher in Liberty; she wasn't sure though. Megan and Joy are facebook friends. Megan noticed that Joy was friends with me, made the connection, and thought Joy would be a good reference. Joy assured her I would do a good job taking care of her little boy (another boy!!!!).
Megan called again this morning; her husband thought I would be a good match as well, and so I will be meeting them and their little boy on Monday evening!
How awesome is that!!! I would say that God has definitely got my back, as He has for the past 29 years and 9 months. Yesterday, I blogged about feeling overwhelmed with all of Coralyn's requests, before 7 am. I referenced a verse about how God hears my prayers and how thankful I am for that!!! Well, later I thought about what David wrote in Psalm 139, one of my favorite passages anyway.
"You know what I am going to say before I say it, Lord."
That was the particular verse that popped into my head yesterday. I was reminded that before I even make a request, God knows what I need. On top of that, He's already taken care of it and met that need! Just as He did with this whole daycare situation.
The surrounding verses are quite fitting, given the events of the past few days:
O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I am far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!!!
Later, David goes on to say:
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in Your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
Yeah, I would say so!!! Before I was ever even a thought in my parents' head, way back to before God even spoke light into existence, God knew that Friday would happen. He knew where I was going to go on my run and that the red truck was going to follow me basically the whole way. He also knew that I would have an opening in my daycare right when Megan was looking for a place for her son. He knew a whole lot more too, as I am sure that I am unaware of quite a few details of the ins and outs of my own life. The good thing is that I don't have to know about them. Why not? Because God's got it all covered. He always has, and He always will. He's got my back!!!
David took the words out of my mouth when he penned, "How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God." I have to go back to what he said in verse 6 as well, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!!!"
Ain't that the truth!!!
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