Me, Me, Me, Me, Me!

I remember doing voice exercises before choir – me, me, me, me, me. Unfortunately this blog is about how I almost missed an opportunity to be used by God, because I was only thinking of me, myself and I.

The story began with one particular semester of working in campus ministry with middle and high school students, and college students. At the end of a fall semester, the young adults that I ministered to gave me a gift certificate for a free massage for a Christmas gift. I am a frugal person and this is not something I would ordinarily spend money on for myself. However, when I scheduled the appointment, I began to look forward to this upcoming special pamper ME treatment.

The day came for me to go to the spa for my massage. I was so excited for this time to relax. The woman came in, introduced herself, and began to give me my massage. During the massage she began to small chat with me. They were ordinary questions that you use to strike up a conversation. Who are you? What do you do? Are you from this area? I had absorbed the idea that this pampering session was for me and I was not going to do an ounce of work, even ministry. Therefore, I made sure that I kept the chit-chat to a minimal.

After answering the basic questions, came the question that I would not be able to answer with a brief response. “Why did you chose this area to move to?” Brace yourself; here it comes like a two by four from God! I know it seems like a harmless question except that the reason we are living in this area is that God asked us to sell our home and move to this area to serve Him. I knew that God did not mind that I was on a pampering session and taking time for myself. However, I also know He has a predestined plan. His plans includes orchestrating people, conversations and events together for the right moment and that is for His glory to shine. I knew without any doubt that I was to share my testimony. I was talking to God for what seemed like a lengthy conversation. I was saying no and God was saying yes.

However, I could not ignore God, so I shared the story with the woman on why we moved to the area. My story was that I had served in youth ministry in another community, when in a period of eight months, my husband and I felt that God was calling him to retire after 29 years in a state job, and we were to sell our home and move. Her response caught me off guard, “Do you really believe that God hears your prayers and answers?”

I knew that this was no longer about an appointment for me to receive a massage. Instead, it was a Divine appointment for the woman who was giving the massage. I responded with certainty “Yes!” She began to share her story of watching her youngest daughter struggle with an addiction, treatments, and jail cells. She thought her daughter was over the hard part, when unexpectedly the woman received a dreaded phone call from the county jail that her daughter was back in jail. This call had happened a day before my appointment. The woman’s voice quivered as she lamented about how she prayed and that God had not come through for her and her daughter. The Holy Spirit prompted me with wisdom on what to say, such as God loves her and her daughter. He had not wanted this for her and her daughter.

As I was ministering during the massage, I began to feel little drops on my back. The drops were of her silent tears. I did not want her to feel bad or ashamed that her daughter was struggling in this addiction. I knew I had to take it a step further and share some moments of the struggles with my family and relatives. I shared with her on how I saw God come through our hurts and pains of watching our loved ones struggle with life. I told her that I have been offering up my hard trials in life as a prayer for those members in my family struggling. I told her that God took my efforts of prayer, fasting and offering up my trials, and begin to repair my relatives to wholeness.

The woman asked me how I was so strong with my faith. I shared that I had not always been strong. However, in desperation after losing a spouse, and all the other life things that happened, I came to know the loving God in Scriptures. I became so in love with Jesus, that my daily walk with The Lord is how and who I am today. My formula is simple: Scripture, prayer and waiting and watching for God.

So this brings me to the Scripture verses in 1 Cor. 7-10, Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, But as it is written: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” for this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

You can see how God had this all in place for this particular time and appointment. It was a matter of me not holding back on this Divine appointment. I hope and pray that this dear mother and daughter will know that God loves them. It is OK to have me time. However, I have learned to let God also be a part of the me time! The whole reason I exist is because of Him and for Him to show His Glory through me, even if it is during a massage.

#Kindness #Stress #Women #Christian #Scipture #God #Prayer #Believing #Jesus #Ministry #Bible