The Intimacy of God
posted in God-sightings |I know I shouldn’t be, but I am always amazed when God does something so personal there are no words to describe it. This happened for a special friend of mine Wednesday morning and I was blessed to be a part of it.
My friend and I meet once a week for brunch. It is a great time of sharing and encouragement. Although I will see her again before Christmas I felt moved to give her her gift this past Wednesday. The gift itself was not a big deal, just a simple ornament that my daughter and I had made placed in a simple gift box.
The night before, I was contemplating exactly which ornament to give … the pink and white one or the purple and white one. Even though I was leaning towards giving the purple ornament I choose the pink one. I carefully placed it in the gift box and set it on the counter for my morning delivery.
But, before I was able to deliver the gift, my daughter opened the box to see which ornament I had chosen. As she did, the ornament fell and shattered on the floor. Although I was disappointed, I knew I had the purple ornament left. So, after cleaning up the broken glass, I carefully placed the purple gift in the box.
When my friend opened the box at brunch she began to cry. I had no way of knowing, but her Christmas tree is decorated with only purple and white ornaments. As she carefully admired the ornament I had just given her, she explained the significance of those two colors in her life.
After years of pain and anguish, God began healing her heart. In May of 2007 she took a personal retreat similar to the one I went on in October. During her time away God began pouring his salve of grace on her wounds and enabled her to forgive those who caused her so much pain. Just before she left her retreat God gave her a special message just for her. As part of that message he told her that purple and white represented who she was to him. White because she is pure before him and purple because she is part of his royal family.
I had known my friend went away in May for a personal retreat, but I didn’t know about her special message, and I didn’t need to. Because God knows each of us intimately, better than we even know ourselves, he knew what my friend needed that Wednesday morning. He knew that because of a difficult Tuesday night she needed to be reminded of who she was in Him. And He used the brokenness of a pink ornament to bring wholeness and encouragement through a purple one.
I am honored that I was able to be a vessel for God’s message to my friend. And I am truly amazed by the ways he meets our heart’s deepest needs. The intimacy found in a relationship with the Creator of the universe can be compared to nothing else.
Choose a better life by choosing to allow God to meet your deepest needs and experience the abundant joy that can only be found in a relationship with him.