God Winks

I don't believe in coincidences any more. You know, those times when things just fall in to place. A person's name pops into your head, and then you get a phone call from them. You need something, and then a friend gives it to you out of the blue. I have come to realize that they aren't coincidences at all. The author Squire Rushnell calls them "God Winks" (he's written a series of books about them). These are the times when God shows his hesed, or loving kindness, to his people, in a very real and non-random way.

Last month, I decided that my husband really needed a fire pit. He loves to burn stuff (it's a guy thing), and I figured it would be a nice way for our family to have campfires in the backyard. I began to price fire pits online.....YIKES! They were expensive! Finally, I began to check out used fire pits. I found one advertised in a neighborhood garage sale for $40. I made my son, John, go with me to check it out. Well, the fire pit was well used, and looked a little worse for the wear. I decided to pass it up. Just as we were circling the neighborhood to leave, John looked out his window at another garage sale and said "Mom, that looks like a new fire pit in that box right there!" We pulled over to check it out, and sure enough, it was a brand new Coleman fire pit, never opened, in the original box, for $20! The lady of the house said that her husband won it in a golf outing, and they already owned one. We snatched it up and put it in the car.

As we drove away from the curb, I said out loud "Thank you, God!" Then I explained to John how important it is to acknowledge those times when it is so obvious that God has intervened for our good with praise. A real teachable moment. I find more and more opportunities to say "Thank you, God!" now. Just the other night, I applauded God for his beautiful sunset in a Home Depot parking lot. Thankfully, my husband understands these quirky moments.

We finally used the fire pit last night, and as you can tell from the photo, the whole family was excited, even the dog! Maggie ran around the yard with a big smile on her face. Several times, she came over to kiss me, and it was as if she were saying "Normally, I'm sound asleep on the couch at this time of the night! You crazy people always surprise me!"

We roasted marshmallows, looked at the stars, and listened to the song of the locusts, frogs, and crickets. It was a good night. Another good opportunity to say "Thank you, God!"

"The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. " Ps. 145:13