08.27.08

Moments … God Moments

Posted in Blessings, Inspirational, Relationship, Simplicity, Thankfulness at 10:18 am by Sandi Rauwolf

Since my last blog God seems to keep presenting the idea of “moments … God moments”. The funny thing is that we are surrounded by these moments all of the time but life tends to get in the way of us noticing them. The God moments are in the little things like the innocence of a child’s smile as they board the bus for their first day of school.

Today was Samantha’s first day of 1st grade. I remember back to when Ty was boarding the bus his first day years ago. He was a bundle of nerves, along with his mom! Both of our eyes filled with tears. As the bus approached, we both became seemingly more nervous. He stepped on the bus glancing back at me trying to be brave but obviously scared. The tears rolled down my face – the realization set in, my baby was growing up.

But today, Samantha was much different than her big brother (who is now an 8th grader). She confidently and very excitedly watched the bus turn the corner. The closer the bus got to us, the more excited she became! She knew every moment in kindergarten was preparing her for this moment today, and she was ready, more than ready! Nevertheless, there I stood tears filling my eyes being overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions … feeling so incredibly proud of her for the confidence she exhibited, being thankful for God blessing us with this little Angel as our daughter and the realization that my baby girl is going to 1st grade -feeling helpless knowing I have to trust that big yellow school bus to take care of her.

As she boarded, I stood outside through tear filled eyes peeking into the windows of the bus trying to find her. I noticed the other children around her with the same faces as Ty had years ago – nervous and scared …. but, then there right in the middle of it all was Samantha beaming, and I mean BEAMING. I couldn’t help but notice how the other children seemed to glance her way and suddenly their faces softened. It was as if they were unknowingly tapping into that feeling of euphoria she seemed to be illuminating. Looking into her beautiful blue eyes framed by her blonde spiral curls peeking out of her pony tail, she really did look like an Angel and not just to me but to those around her. I saw exactly what God was doing through her and it reminded me of how God works through those little moments to reach us. The exact moments sent to help us when we need something to soften our faces. The moments that are so easily missed unless someone shares the secret opening our eyes to a new perspective in life – one where we notice these “moments … God moments”.

A friend (thanks Mary Ann! :) sent me a story recently that is a perfect depiction of these moments. It causes us to step back, pause and realize how easily we all tend to underestimate the power of the simple things in life and how God touches us through them.

Twinkies and Root Beer

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?

“He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? God’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked,” Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?”

He replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added,” You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

~author unknown~

May God open your eyes this week to that secret … the “moments … God moments” that surround us every single day allowing you to embrace them with a knowing and true understanding that God works through them to reach us. The smallest moments in life make the largest impact so I encourage you to seek those moments in your life and to let God work through you to bring Twinkies and root beer to someone who needs it.

Love and Blessings!

Sandi :)

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