A few years ago I completed a bible study and one of the main things I walked away from that has stuck with me is Beth Moore's want for you to realize everything that God is doing around you even in the small things. These "God Stops" has she would call them could be anything from noticing something in nature that made you praise God for His creation to being given an opportunity to stop and think or talk about God. Often times when I notice something and it makes me either think about God or want to stop and pray I will often think of this and thank God for showing or giving me the opportunity top of that study I also recently completed one by Beth Moore that was called Loving Well. The basis of it was learning to love all people in your life whether they be a Testy friend, Joy Friend, Foe, or Far by the overflow of love that God pours into our lives when we ALLOW Him to.
The past week or so I have been going into work really early to try to catch up on things since our office is low on staff right now. In the mornings when I leave between 6:40 and 7:00 I started noticing all the children that are waiting at bus stops along Martin Luther King street. The first morning I noticed this and felt an overwhelming sadness that this extreme number of children in elementary especially were having to be up and out of the door this early waiting on a bus when school didn't start for another almost two hours. The first week this "God Stop" made me pray for my mother that morning on the way to work and really just praise God for how wonderful of parents I was blessed with and thank Him for the simple thing of not having to wait at a bus stop at 6:45 every morning before school because my mom was fortunate enough to be able to take me. The next Tuesday when I was driving by I thought for a second I wonder how many breakfast burritos from McDonalds I would need to just drop enough off one morning to feed them on my way to work. Now I am not only a scaredy cat that watches too many murder/vanishing mysteries but I am also probably way too sensitive to what might hurt people less fortunate feelings. So I immediately thought what if they take it the wrong way and are offended and then became angry and I totally disappear. Almost immediately after thinking this God placed the simple thought from the Loving Well bible study on my heart that it is important to also pray for the far friends. These are people who we may never even meet or see but do still need to pray for them. I instantly started praying for each of these children's day that were sitting at the many stops along my way to work. The first morning I was very surprised to find that by the time I got to work I was overwhelmed with sadness to the point of a few tears. As I was praying that they see God in some way that day through someone in their path I realized that not all those children have mothers or fathers that prayed for them before they were born and will continue praying for them for the rest of their lives. I then realized that what if my little prayer that morning was the only prayer said for them that day or even more sad that week or month or year. Then I felt a peace come over me and realized that my little prayer is not so little to God. So every morning on my way to work I have started praying for these children whose names I don't even know but I have also found anytime I am driving down Martin Luther King or around there it makes me stop and think of these precious children of God and I say a prayer over them. I will never know if it makes a difference in their lives or if they become saved but I am asking each of you to join me in praying for them if you ever have a "God Stop" moment and this comes to your mind. You will be surprised at the amount of things that can come from praying for a complete stranger.
After all of the things above came to be I realized that since Clayton has come and life has been crazy I have not been as good at noticing the "God Stops" that God presents for me to plant seeds with my own child. I still pray for Hudson daily but haven't been daily seeking a way to plant seeds of the amazing love of my savior. The other evening in the bath God opened the door wide open and I had to stop and praise Him for the opportunity and that my eyes were open to it. We were giving Hudson a bath and I said oh Hudson your feet are so dirty let mommy really scrub them good to get them clean. He said ok mommy. Then I said boy you played hard this is hard to get the dirt off. He said why is it hard mommy. I said well you played hard. Then it hit me I can tie this into how easy it is for God to wash away the "dirty" things in our lives much easier than scrubbing so hard with a wash cloth. Then I thought here goes, God grant me the words to not totally confuse him. So I said Hudson did you know that sometimes when we don't mind or we do something we shouldn't God washes it away from our lives with a simple prayer saying we are sorry. He said you don't have to scwub and scwub and scwub like this. (motion the wash cloth on the side of the tub) I said no He sent his little boy to do all the hard work for us so that when we are really dirty like when you play outside all we have to do is talk to God and tell him we are sorry and he washes all the dirt out of lives. Then Hudson turned to me and said I ilke that mommy! I know that at three he probably does not totally grasp the concept but at least the seed has been planted.
I pray for each of you that may read this blog that God will not only place these "God Stops" throughout your day but that when he does you will be watching close enough that you take time out of your day to praise Him, thank Him, pray or take action.
