It was last Tuesday and we were on our way home from the library when I remembered that we needed just a few apples to get us through til Thursday, grocery day. I figured we might as well run that errand now since we were out. I hadn't planned on swinging by Sprouts, but I found myself turning right instead of going straight to head home. As we pulled into the parking lot, I remembered that Mardell's is right next to Sprouts. Mardell's is a Christian bookstore and it had been recommended to me by a home schooling mom I had met the week before. She had raved about the place, so we thought it might be fun to just check it out...plus, they have some home school resources and I'm always interested in looking at home school stuff :)
So, I pitched the idea to the girls and they were up for checking out a new place. The plan was to just stop in and get an idea of what the store was like.
Sophia spotted the "lovey display" as soon as we walked in...she has a thing for stuffed animals...and we have too many of them...even after we thinned them out for the move :) In typical Sophia style, she immediately picked one out that she loved and decided that she had to have it. She has a gift card still from Christmas and I assured her that if she thought about it and still wanted the lovey, then I would bring her back in a few days so she could buy it. Sophia is pretty impulsive, so we usually make her wait before we let her buy something she has picked out...thankfully, both my big girls are used to this and rarely make a fuss about not getting something. She squeezed her "new lovey" and assured Lulu (she had already named it) that she would be back in a few days to bring her home......she also found about 40 other things that she wanted in our brief visit...gotta love that kid :)
As we were leaving, a store employee stopped me and told me that an older couple had purchased a stuffed animal for Bella and Sophia. She took them over to the display and they each got to pick out a new lovey...somehow they picked the same one :) The employee told me that the anonymous couple had seen the girls looking at the lovies and had simply wanted to bless them. They were delighted and I was in awe.
I loved watching them...the surprise, the delight...it was precious! But what I love most was how God shined. We talked about how we hadn't even planned on going to the grocery store, and had definitely not planned to check out the new store next to it. God had directed our steps to have us there at the right time. And He had directed the timing of the sweet, anonymous couple to be there at the same, right time. We talked about how God got the glory because the couple had done this in secret...they didn't want to shine, they just wanted to bless.
But most importantly, we talked about how we miss PA and our friends and our church...and how God surely sees and understands. I believe our Lord wanted the girls to know that He knows it is hard, but they are right where He wants them to be. They thought the whole thing was pretty neato...but it was the sparkle in Bella's eyes and the smile on her face that especially blessed me as she talked about how in the whole big world, God had sent her a gift to remind her of His care, to remind her that He sees her, to show His love for her. This move has been especially hard on Bella and it was simply kind of God to reach out to her, to show her that she is important and special...it was simply kind of God to give my sweet, struggling, brave daughters a tangible reminder of His good plans. To them, it is not just a stuffed animal...it is a fuzzy faith builder.
I love you, Lord...and I thank you for the stuffed kitties that now live in our home. Thank you for the sweet couple who gave them to our girls...Lord, bless them. And Lord, thank you for being very real to my girls...thank you Lord for reminding them that you see them and you love them. Thank you for reminding them (and me) that You direct our steps. Jesus, please continue to grow their faith~
I hope you experience a Random Act of Kindness...or maybe you can be that for someone else :)
God bless~
Rach
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