The other day I was getting gas and as I pumped it I actually looked at the sign board right above the tank.  It had a big “SAVE NOW” on it, followed by this blurb “Save $.10 per gallon!  Simply buy 4 of these (pictures of snacks and bottled drinks) for $4.50 and get 10 cents off every gallon!”  Because I was still pumping, I took a minute to do some quick math.  The average tank size is around 16 gallons, so saving ten cents a gallon would net you $1.60.  BUT!  You just spent $4.50 to save that!  In other words, while you did gain snacks and/or drinks, you actually LOST $2.90 on a 10 gallon purchase!  What the gas station is counting on is customers that are tired, hungry, in a hurry, with or without kids who are the same.  In other words, customers who are too distracted by other things to care about the validity of the offer. Things of no real value will temporarily solve a hunger issue (snacks) or energy need (caffeine drinks) in the heat of the moment, and seem entirely reasonable to purchase in return for the “reward”.

As I was reading this and congratulating myself for having figured out what a scam this was, I distinctly heard the Lord speaking to my heart, and here’s what He said:  don’t pat yourself on the back too soon!  And I immediately understood what He meant.  I might have escaped this scam, but I am not always that successful in the spiritual realm… and knowone knows that better than God Himself.

If you look at this event from a spiritual standpoint, you will see the exact design our enemy uses.  He loves to catch us in moments of weakness – when we’re tired, or hungry, or distracted, or discouraged.  The  He makes us an unbelievable offer.  “For just the cost of one lunch date a week, you can go to lunch with your opposite sex coworker, flirt, and feel good about yourself again!  Just one hour!”  Or, there’s “For just the cost of one bottle of ______ you can take the edge off your stress and be yourself again!” Or how about “For just the cost of Sunday morning church, you can work every Saturday, make tons of money, and still have a day all to yourself!”

The examples like this can go on forever, but I think the point is obvious..satan will never stop scheming to destroy us and our families by offering something SO good for more than we really meant to pay!  It’s only when the lives are ruined, the families torn apart, and financial gains are not realized that we stop and do the math, and realize what we fell for.

So how do we respond, including me?  Like this..when the offer is there, and you’re mentally not (tired, hungry, etc) just stop.  Stop and say no and move on, or just stop, think it through,and then SEE what’s really on the line!  Then God can move in, direct our steps, and keep us in His will..and we will live lives that glorify Him!

It was an ordinary day at work, waiting on customers in the drive through line, taking their money, handing out food, and talking and laughing with them.  I have a lot of regulars that come through often enough for me to recognize them, and to count many of them as very good friends.  However, that day, a new couple came to the window.  He was driving, and she was laying down in the passenger seat as best she could.  As I took his money, I noticed she had a hospital wristband on her arm, and when I handed their food back out to them, I mentioned it and told them I would be praying for her the rest of the day….something I do when I have time and God leads me to it.  I also told them they had a “bag of deliciousness” and to have a good rest of their day.  I did pray the rest of that day, and then it faded from my memory.

A few weeks later, Mom and I were eating at our local Applebee’s, and had a very friendly and wonderful waitress.  When she came back with our check, I was laughing with her and she stopped in her tracks and said, “I know you!  You’re my “bag of deliciousness” woman!”  I nodded yes, because I say that to a lot of customers, and looked confused.  She said, “You noticed my hospital band!  I am had just been released because of chemo complications, and felt horrible, but you noticed!”  She went on to explain that she is fighting cancer for the FOURTH time, takes chemo most mornings, and comes into work in the afternoons.  She went on to tell me again how much she appreciated that moment, and that every time since then when her husband brings her CFA, he says, “here’s your bag of deliciousness!”  I was really overwhelmed with her gratitude…and more overwhelmed that the Lord had taken a single moment out of both our days to show His love. She and I became FB friends after that, sharing about our lives and other stuff, and Mom and I continued eating at Applebee’s occasionally and always asking to be seated in her section.  It was a great thing that God had started.

AND YET!  He was not through!  Fast forward to last week’s hurricane, and my yard being a total disaster afterward.  We have many pine trees, and there were about a million pine cones and small limbs, and several HUGE limbs, all over our yard.  The heat and humidity also quickly cranked back up, and we were facing an impossible task in getting it cleaned up with just my hubby and myself, and my Mom.  I posted on FB about our need for help, and because it was Labor Day weekend I had very few offers.  UNTIL.  My new friend saw the post, and within minutes had her husband committed to the task!  He in turn brought their teenage son with him, and with the help of one other person, our yard was returned to beautiful condition after about 7 hours of work between them.  What a blessing that the very people God had brought to me a few months ago to encourage and uplift, now became the very same to us!  He is always the author of something more than what we see!

AND YET STILL!  The story is not finished.  Angel and I (isn’t that an appropriate name?) have discovered a joint love of crocheting and blanket making, and now we have an opportunity to join in ministry together with our talents!  She uses her crocheting to keep her from “going insane” when she’s housebound with chemo reactions, etc, and I have always loved it as a form of “therapy” because I can get lost in it, zone out the present, and allow my mind to roam and think about other, deeper issues while doing it.

The point of all this?  God, who is in charge of all our days, and minutes, and the very breaths that we take, is not a God limited to what WE see or what WE think.  He is always, always at work in greater, wider, deeper, and far more lasting ways than we will ever know.  I am SO eternally grateful that He spoke to me that morning, and that I listened, and that now He is going to use two very ordinary, struggling, in love with Him people to touch the lives of others through a brand new ministry opportunity!  Doesn’t it make you wonder what ELSE He’s up to?  Let this encourage you then…and make sure you don’t miss the next time He prompts you to have “a moment” for Him!