What would you do with an unexpected blessing?

There is a small prayer in I Chronicles 4:10. Jabez prays, "...bless me indeed..." We never hear exactly how God answered Jabez's prayer (only that He did), but doesn't it make you wonder what happened?

A few years ago, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book on this prayer, "The Prayer of Jabez". Many of you have read this little devotional, where the reader is invited to ask God for the unlimited blessings He can give us.

Have you ever wondered what that would look like?

Would it be a 'yes' to a cherished desire? The first thing that frequently comes to our minds is usually material: a dream vacation, a home, financial independence. Or it may be family concerns such a desire for a child, concerns for a troubled teenager or reconciliation among estranged family members.

Such tangible things are easier for us to imagine. However, sometimes God's blessings for us are not the things we imagine. Did you ever experience a time as a child when the beautifully wrapped toy under the Christmas tree turned out to be a savings bond or some other practical item? (I'm dating myself here, aren't I?) To a child, it's kind of like getting underwear. But as adult, I realize that I was given an investment! Pretty cool, but I didn't appreciate it then.

So I wonder sometimes if I will recognize the unlimited blessings from God. Will they be what I think they will be? Or does God have a different 'package' under the tree?

One of my goals for 2009 is to strengthen my existing friendships and nurture new ones. So one of my prayers has been to bring me in the path of new aquaintainces. I've also been praying for the qualties of a good friend, to help me be a good friend.

Yesterday, God may have brought me yet another blessing in the way of a friend, but until right now, I hadn't looked at it that way.

My husband left for his afternoon round of voice lessions right as our son was getting off the bus. Ten minutes later, my husband pulled back into the driveway said, "I can't believe I'm doing this," and then opened the back door to let a little dog out of the car. Then he jumped back in the car and drove off, leaving me with a confused dog and a busload of excited children.

Now I have been asking for a dog for a while. Our son is very energetic and I thought a dog might be fun for him. But now that a dog was in my garage (fleas!), all I could think about were the practicalities: Is she lost? What can I feed her? Good heavens, she looks like a pit bull!! Where can I put her until I can get her flea dipped?!

It wasn't until lunch today that I looked at her another way. We went for a walk and sat down to rest for a minute. She curled up next to me, a calm little companion and lifted her chin so I could rub her face and neck. I realized that God had answered a friend prayer with the appearance of this dog. Not only will she keep me company without interruption while I work at home, but she will also be a work-out buddy, keeping me motivated to take daily walks. When I told my trainer I had a work-out buddy, I never pictured a dog!

So while she will never have pedicures with me or tell me what looks good on me in the dressing room, Ruby will fill a friendship role in my life for as long as she is part of our household.

What about you and the friends in your life? Are you satisfied with those relationships? Could they improve? Are you missing a "type" of friend: Do you have a cheeleader, an accountability friend, a spiritual buddy? Might it be possible God has placed that "missing" person in your life, but you haven't recognized her yet?

What baby step can you take today to reinforce an existing friendship or find an opportunity to make a new friend? Recently, many of my friends and I have connected via Facebook. Is there someone to whom you can reach out? Is there someone you've been saying, "let's get together" to, and can you make a firm date to see her? Is there a small group at church where you might get to know new people?

Who might be the unexpected blessing in your life?

Smiles and Blessings,
Sharon


P.S. Thank you to all of you who commented last week and for the prayers offered up for Kenny and his family. Please continue to bless them with your prayers as they prepare to bring him home next week! I will keep the link to his blog on the upper right of this blogsite.

What would you do if life threw you a curve ball?

Yes, it has been a long time since the last post, hasn't it? When Donald passed away, I planned to take an extra week or two off from posting. Little did I know that it would be nine months!!

The logistics of dealing with long-distance estate issues were more time-consuming than I thought. Spring was very busy with life coaching, speaking engagements, Evan's final days at pre-school and planning for a return trip to California. There were even loose ends from my own parents' estate to wrap up, and they needed to be done in person.

Evan and I spent part of May and June away from home. Much of the day was spent entertaining my energetic little boy, who had to endure waiting at the DMV and going to the county clerk's office. We found time for fun, but at the back of my mind was the never-ending 'to-do' list.

Evenually, I got sick. Poor Evan was stuck in the house with me for two days. As often happens when we get sick from overdoing, God finally got my attention. He said, "Enough, daughter. Rest and prepare for what is coming."

Darrin arrived for a few days, and we planned a much-needed July vacation. I was able to chart out goals for my business. Evan was to start kindergarten on August 25, and I composed a schedule that would allow me to coach and also help my friend Gigi Hudnall with her start-up business. Everything was falling into place. I was rested and prepared.

Or so I thought...

Three days after school and Gigi's business started, she and her 5-year-old son Kenny were in a terrible car accident. Kenny was paralyzed from the neck down, and the Hudnall's lives were thrown into chaos. Friends and extended family prayed, brought meals and helped Gigi keep her newborn business afloat. The Hudnalls were amazing in the face of such a crisis and thousands of people logged on to Kenny's blog to pray for the family.

My ideal plans were tossed right out the window. Evan was having a hard time adjusting to kindergarten, my mornings were taken up with helping Gigi by attending meetings for her business, driving the van with Evan proved to be less than idyllic... Then a much loved friend experienced a life-threatening medical crisis, and on and on it went. I was uncomfortable and felt that I wasn't giving enough to my family, my business, my friends.

Plans to attend my high-school reunion nearly went out the window too, but God kept prompting me to go. Isn't it great when we listen to Him? It was a wonderful mini-sabbatical, and the Lord placed several dear friends and spiritual 'uplifters' in my path. Once again, I was reminded that my timetable is not His timetable. "Relax daughter," He said to me over and over until I got it. (I'm so glad for His infinite patience!!)

So December was spent in the lap of His love. Yes, things were still busy, but now I had a sense of His peace. It was alright to re-launch the blog in 2009. It was OK to not have my photo up on Facebook right away. Everything that had to be done was done, and as for the others...Well, sometimes we just have to give ourselves some grace. He certainly does.

Things fell into place, but it felt different this time. It was not frenetic. There was no sense of forced urgency. Yes, I made plans and thought about goals, but it was in His time, not mine.

So thank you all for your patience, prayers and good wishes over the past nine months. My prayer for 2009 is that you live in the lap of His love, remembering the amazing grace He has shown to us. How reassuring to know that He is big enough to catch any curve ball life throws at you.

Smiles and Blessings,
Sharon

P.S. Kenny is doing extremely well. To read about this incredible family of faith, click on the link above. You will be blessed beyond measure!