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| Picture by: http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/no-goldfish-for-you/ |
The pink car was dead, leaving us with one car between us. Of course John would use the pick up to commute to work. We had enough money to buy a cheap used car but it would completely empty our scant savings. So we turned to prayer. John and I knelt by our bed asked our Father in Heaven what we should do in Jesus Christ's name. Then we silently waited for an answer, straining to hear guidance from the still small voice of the Holy Ghost.
"Wait until the end of the summer," was the answer I heard.
It was presently January and the end of summer sounded years away.
John asked me if I had gotten any impressions.
"I got an answer, but I don't like it...we need to wait until the end of summer."
Wait we did and the winter gave me a bad case of cabin fever. However I was motivated to learn how to use the bus system. Here in PA the public bus system is not like NYC which runs every 10 minutes. If you miss your bus in PA you must wait an hour for the next.
One spring day my toddler and I missed the bus on the way home from the market. We huddled together under a tree, caught by a surprise thunderstorm and downpour. Not a great place to be in an electric storm. A woman pulled up and offered us a ride home which we gratefully accepted.
Another sunny day we had to return a dead goldfish to the pet store (The young clerk had reassured me that such a big goldfish would be fine in the small goldfish bowl. It wasn't and it died overnight). So my son and I walked uphill to the bus stop, hand in hand with a dead goldfish in a sloshing bowl under my other arm. Once catching the bus we had to do a transfer as well. Most people were initially charmed to see this young mom giving her son and his unusual pet a walk, then they'd looked dismayed when they realized it was in fact a dead goldfish floating in the bowl.
It wasn't easy to be without a second car, so we did test drive a vehicle or two, but nothing felt right.
One summer day my good friend from NJ phoned and said her husband was getting a new car and we were welcomed to his old one. She and her husband were giving us a car! It turned out to be a great car too, a Honda Accord.
After we'd driven it home, I remembered my impression way back in January and realized it was August.
"John, do you think the Lord told us to wait 'till the end of summer because He knew we'd get this wonderful car?"
"Of course, the Lord knows everthing including the future."
We were thrilled, not just because of a free car and a great generous friend, mostly because we knew that God loves us and knew our needs and answered our prayer in His time. Prayer is wonderful, especially when we choose to listen for the answer.
Such a nice story! Thank you Rita.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, may God bless you and answer your prayers!
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