Your place-setting. Just for you. |
I remember years ago when I first arrived in South Carolina. I had come from California and all of my belongings were in storage. All I had were myself and my two boys. That was about it. One of the hardest things during that time was waiting for my car. Even that was in a storage facility in California. I felt hopeless having to rely on others for transportation, but I knew my situation was temporary. At least with a car my boys and I could "escape" to different parts of South Carolina. Without one I felt limited and closed-in.
One time when I needed yet another ride to my job, which was about 40 minutes away (the owner of the borrowed car I was using wanted it back), I had gotten a ride from a woman who I found out days later, wasn't the nicest person. On one occasion when she didn't think I gave her gas money fast enough, she became mean, rude, and obnoxious. It became obvious that she didn't really believe my story that my car was in storage in California. Needless to say, my association with her was over within weeks of meeting her. Finally my car came. It was a happy day that I will always remember. On one of my usual drives to work I passed her on the road. I drove by and looked over at her smiling in my "new" car with my California license plates. The look on her face in those short moments were sheer shock, disbelief, and amazement. That look will forever be etched in my mind. I have to admit, it's a cherished moment.
Every time I think back to that day, I think about how the Lord will set a place before our enemies. Although she may not have been an enemy in the traditional sense of the word, she clearly wasn't a person who wished me or my sons well. That, I knew for sure. But God...He made it so I didn't need to show-off by calling her and saying, 'see see I got my car and I don't need you anymore.' No, there was no need for that. God simply showed her that I wasn't lying about my car.
There was no doubt to me that I knew God worked in my favor that very moment. And all I had to do was drive by and smile big. Not a smile of spite or anything of the sort. Simply a smile of, 'hey good to see you, thanks for what you did for my sons and me, but I'm glad I have my car.' I never saw her again after that. Sometimes all we have to do is show up, perform, drop the mic, and exit stage left. Show over.
The moral of the story is, as we continue to live for God and have faith in Him, He will be the one who showcases our lives the way He sees fit. And I believe He does this:
- to increase our faith in Him by showing us His favor in our lives
and
- to bring others to Him through our lives as witness to His goodness
All of this I liken to a southern phrase called, "showing out', which means showing off or bringing attention to. Just like God showed-out in my favor that day, He will do the same for anyone, because He is a God of showing-out with an exclamation point.
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