Sometimes people say to me things like, “I don’t really think God cares about that part of my life,” or “I’m sure God has better things to worry about than the details of my life.” This attitude really breaks my heart. To think that God really just doesn’t care that much about you must be awfully discouraging. I admit that sometimes it is harder than others to listen for God’s voice, but to believe that He isn’t concerned or doesn’t have the time? God works within the details of our lives. I’m sure. I’ve seen it.
When I first decided to be a stay at home mom I was pregnant with our third child and had a 3 year old and 1 year old. The decision made perfect sense. I was only working part time anyway, and you know what it costs for childcare. Besides, there was the obvious advantage of the blessing of being with my kids all day and not having to drag them out of bed to cart them to a babysitter every day.
The reality was a little different. I manage the money in our house, so I kept from my husband just how short we were coming up in the first few months after I left my job. (Sidenote: This is not a strategy that I recommend to anyone. Alas, I am human.) Out of the blue, or maybe I should say straight from God, Duane got a call from a friend suggesting that he apply for a job at the place he was working. Duane said no, he wasn’t interested. A few days later, the friend contacted him again encouraging him to at least interview and think about it. Duane decided to humor him. He has now been with that employer for nine years and the initial increase in salary was about 35%. I cannot thank God enough for being there for us, even if we did initially ignore Him!
Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s not ‘details’, that’s big.” Ok, maybe you’re right.
There was a day a couple of weeks ago that I was dropping my kids off at school, and I was not feeling my most positive. I was having one of those feeling sorry for myself mornings when I wonder what use is there in being a stay at home mom to three kids who are in school all day. My house is so quiet. No one needs me. I decided to walk by my daughter’s room instead of going in to say good-bye because she’s old enough that she’s potentially embarrassed by this and she has a teacher who stands like a stern sentinel at the door. (Sorry, Larry, you’re a little intimidating!) So I was shuffling down the hall feeling lonely when I felt a tug at my back, and there was my beautiful Gabrielle. She had seen me walk by and ran down the hall to catch me and give me a hug. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for whispering in her ear.
Sometimes it’s a friend who tells you that you look fabulous (everyone should have one of these friends and I thank God for mine!), those “coincidences” that make your day terrific, or your husband bringing home dinner when you just can’t take one more thing that day. God is in the details. We don’t always give Him credit for it, but He is certainly present. Are we always looking for Him?
Please share a comment about how God has worked in your life!
A big thank you for your blog.Really thank you! Great.
I had an opportunity years ago to move for a job. I decided to go for it. Moved an hour away from friends and family. My son (5 years old) was sick very often, going in the hospital every 3 months or so. Shortly after I moved, he had to be in the hospital for days. With no family or friends except my 7 year old daughter, it was a struggle. Especially when the doctor told me on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 death, he was a 5. I called my boss and begged to move back to my old job, but no such luck. I was devistated. But his doctor promised me to make him better. 3 months later, we went back to hospital, and they had standing orders to draw blood then treat him. Sent blood to Mayo, found right combination of meds for awhile, and he never went back to the hospital for those issues again. I know that God gave me the opportunity to move to save my son. And while I didn’t understand everything at the time, I’m so glad that God had a plan to put the right people in my life to make things better.
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Sharri! Sometimes it takes a few years for us to be able to reflect back and really see what God was doing. I am glad He was there for you and your son
Good thoughts! I believe God does care about the little details! He is those little details. Some choose to Simply ignore that, some embrace it.