One Rainy Night

by

So, I've said it once, and I am sure I will say it many times more in my life... If something can happen to me, it usually will. I'm not saying that I have a pessimistic view on my life, in fact it's quite the opposite. I love having interesting, even hilarious things happen to me so I have the joy of sharing later. I can laugh a situation off almost instantly and think about how fun it will be to share it later. I've had my car break down multiple times, I've booked plane tickets for the wrong day, I've ridden on multiple sketchy bus rides, and I have a knack for getting lost. I can look back on all of those stories and laugh and praise God in them. I figure that if my life wasn't interesting, then I would get really bored. God must have known that about me when he made me and planned out my life... Well of course he did... He's God. (He also must have known that I would need a patient set of parents to deal with me ;) Good thing I have some!) I love God and how he knows those things about us when he plans our lives. 

Yesterday was one of those days. I didn't get lost or do something silly, but when I think about it, of COURSE it would happen to me. Myself and my co-core group leader (Kelsey) had just wrapped up core group meeting for the day. It was a really good time, and I loved every second, but once it was over I got really tired. I had a bit of a head cold (sneezing, watery eyes, sniffles, head ache... the works) and I had been fighting through the whole day because I hate missing things at the base. But it was 6 and it was time for me to go home! I wandered downstairs (I say wander because it's me... and I get distracted easily) and eventually I ran into my friend Sophia. She was printing things in the darkroom and wondered if we could walk home together. I said sure, and that I just needed to get my stuff from the back office. I reached out to open the door, turned the handle, and to my hearts discontent, I discovered that it was locked. The contents within the office included one backpack, one purse with wallet and all monies, and one laptop, all of which belonged to me. Of course it would also make sense that my card to unlock the office was also within the office. I laughed it off, because I could just get all of my stuff in the morning, and it was safe within the locked office, so I walked home with Sophia. I dropped her off and then went to my apartment.  

Upon arriving at my apartment I realized that my keys were in my purse... which was in the office... of course haha. It was 7:30 though, so I figured that one of my roommates would be home... But if they were then my story wouldn't be near as interesting now would it. Sooooo of course, no one was home. And like any dramatic story, this is the part where the rain makes it's entrance. So I'm standing in the rain, with no keys, and no way into my apartment. I am dead tired to the point of where my eyes hurt just because they are still open, sneezing and cold (my jacket was also locked away "safe and sound"), and I'm hungry and just want to take a shower. I ask God what I should do and he says "Go to ministry night." I laugh and think to myself, "Ha. Really funny God. I'm wet, tired, and hungry. I just want to eat and sleep and you want me to go pray and sing? You're kidding right. I know I told you that I wanted to go, but not tonight. I'll go next week."

At this point I am seriously getting hungry. Hungry to the point of being cranky (haha or "h-angry" as my friends call it). I realize have 1.50€ in my pocket and by that time 20 minutes until the grocery store closed. So like any good North American living in Germany I go to the store to by a chocolate bar. I had made up my mind, so I trudged to "Penny" in the rain to buy a chocolate bar. If you know anything about the Penny Markt, then you know that they always have very interesting things on sale. You can get easily distracted perusing the multiple isles (or at least I can anyways) looking at the new things. I couldn't find anything interesting for under 1.50€, so I continued on to the chocolate. Once in the chocolate isle, I found the 1€ shelf, where there were a bunch of random things for only 1€. On the very last shelf, I found a measuring cup! We had been needing one of those really desperately in our apartment, and I was super happy to have found one! I then find a .35€ chocolate bar and proceed to the checkout, happy that I actually got something that our apartment needed. Maybe I heard God wrong! Maybe God wanted me to go get chocolate and a measuring cup! Maybe now my roommates would be home and I could eat dinner WITH chocolate and then go to bed nice and dry.

Nope. That wasn't it. They weren't home. And it was still raining.

At this point Im frustrated, and the joys of chocolate can't help (although I did eat the whole bar just to see if it would). There was no point of me sitting in the rain on the doorstep of my apartment building. So I decide to walk to the Café run by one of our base ministries. At least there it would be dry. As I was walking though, something came over me (and it wasn't the German chocolate). I began to pray out loud. I just began to thank God for things. I thanked him for my apartment. I thanked him that even though I didnt have a jacket, at least I did have clothes. I thanked him for the rain even though i was getting wet. I just kept thanking him for all that I had... shoes, friends, lights, food, chocolate, and pretty soon I was in a much better mood... But I was STILL not going to ministry night. I wasn't in THAT good of a mood.

As I was walking down the road, I reached the place where I was supposed to turn to go to the cafe. But for some reason I didnt. I just decided to take the long way and walk past the place where ministry night was, just because. BUT I wasn't going... I was going NEXT week. But as I got closer to the entrance a song got stuck in my head.

"All who are thirsty, all who are weak, come to the fountain, dip your heart in the stream of life..."

God has a way of knowing what is best for you. He isn't going to force you into it though. I ended up making the decision in the end to go to inside. I could have kept walking if I wanted. God gave me the freedom to walk in the rain, and even gave me something in that, but he still knew what was best. If I had listened a bit sooner, I would have been drier, but I did gain a tad of wisdom (and a measuring cup) out of the situation. The prayer and worship was just what I needed. I even got to pray for others, which I love doing! By the time it was over, I was feeling a lot better! The Holy Spirit moved so much in that place, and I really felt refreshed.

I love the things God does and the way he moves in my life. Sometimes it's small, like last night, but I think the small ways are more personal, and are just at powerful as the big ones. I love that even when I don't do what's best sometimes, God still loves to spoil me because I'm his child. And when I surrender and realize that he KNOWS what he's talking about, then he just wants to spoil me even more. I love that my life is never dull and that everything that happens can be used to glorify Him in one way or another.

Hopefully though, from now on I won't get locked out of any more offices... :D