How He Loves Us!

It has been an amazing 48hrs - full of the good, the bad and the ugly.  Yesterday, I was able to help my dad in the midst of a very hard and trying season for his business.  Simply being able to jump in, help him get ahead of the work load, and spend the day with him was a huge blessing to both of us.  But the day had to be cut a little short, because I also had the privilege of representing the US Navy at a local High School graduation ceremony.  Several students were going off to new careers with the Navy and the local recruiters were there to cheer them on; but, for some crazy reason, they wanted me, the chaplain, present and participating, too!  It was a very day, but a HUGE honor in every aspect.

And then there was today...

Let's just say that today as full of challenges in every respect and ended with my son's bike being stolen from our front yard!  (Believe it or not, this was not even the worst part of the day.)  With the kids getting bigger and our small apartment remaining small, the privilege of being able to allow the kids the freedom to go out and ride their bikes in front of the house is a welcome blessing each day...and doesn't cost any money or require us to physically go anywhere.  The loss of a bike meant that that freedom and joy was gone, especially since our budget is completely tight these days.  Of course, we organized a search party and canvassed the neighborhood to no avail.  Depressed and angry, we put the kids to bed and I decided to go for an evening run (it's how I clear my head and pray).

As I approached my destination at the end of my run, I found myself full of energy and decided to go a few meters further.  Once I hit that point, I felt that I should go, again, a few meters further.  Reaching this third destination, I stopped and looked down.  Believe it or not, there was the bike!!  It was in the middle of nowhere, where no kids ever venture, yet almost surrounded by everything.  There was no possible reason that bike was where it was, but it was!  God had found our bike!!  And He did for no other reason other than to let us know how much He loves us!

Immediately I began shouting praises to the Lord.  i knew that this was a miracle and I knew that it was a sign of comfort and presence for us as a family.  The whole 1/4-mile home I kept shouting praises to the Lord, to the point where Christine came out of our apartment to make sure everything was all right.  I told her the Lord had done a miracle!

God is so good and He loves us.  It is so easy to get caught up in service/work/ministry and/or the challenges of life and forget just how personal the presence and love of God is for each of us.  While the crime and heartache of a stole bike is all-together evil and representative of the injustice of life, I am still so very glad that HIS love and presence is always greater and always available!