The Lord is in the Details (#2)

Yesterday I needed to make a copy of our water bill.  You don't need to know why I needed to make a copy, just know that I did and I usually do that at Staples because that is one of the only places in town you can make a photocopy.  (Yes, we are little.)

Copyright:  Karen Larsen photography

I had the option of doing it in the morning right after I dropped Drew at work, but had the distinct impression to take care of it later in the day when I would be out again.  OK.  No problem.

Later in the day, at Staples, I put my little piece of paper on the glass top, but the machine kept telling me that something wasn't right, and it wouldn't make the photocopy.  Frustrating.  I looked again at the machine and tried to figure out what it was telling me.  I finally understood that it wanted me to move some little green tab on the top lid.  When I did, I could see that there was a piece of paper stuck in there, so I pulled it out.  Someone had obviously used the feeder system and one of the papers got stuck in there.  "Oh, someone left one of their originals, bummer," I thought.  "I'll just give this to the Staple guy when I leave," and proceeded to make my photocopy.

As I picked up the left original and started looking at it, I had trouble figuring out what it was.  The title on top read "Jamaica Kingston Mission" and it had a bunch of phone numbers, names and places that I didn't recognize.  "Well, maybe other churches have missions too."  Then I looked a little closer.  "Sister Gantz" caught my eye.  "Sister??!! I think we are the only church that does that!"  I looked closer.  All of the names began with Sister or Elder.  "OK this is definitely one of ours!!  But why would there be a Jamaican Mission sheet here in California??  The only person who this might belong to, would be...
OH!!!  President and Sister Bingham who served in that mission several years ago!"

So I called them on the phone because their number was in my cell phone.  "President Bingham, this is Carin.  I was here at Staples and -------is this your paper?"

He laughed!  "Yep.  My wife was just there."

"Great, I'll bring it right over!" and I did.

Now I am sure some skeptics would say, 'just a coincidence, a nice one, but coincidence'.  I would say 'NOT'.  Why?  Because those phone numbers and information were important to Him and His work.  When I dropped the paper off at their home, Sister Bingham said, "Where did you get that?!!"

I told her the story.

She told me that they had just recently returned from visiting Jamaica and were talking with the current Sister who is working the office there.  She hadn't saved any of the information that Sister Bingham had had from the mission.  She asked Sister Bingham to photocopy the records and send her a copy.  That is why Sister Bingham had been at Staples in the first place.

Now think about this.  If I had finished my photocopying earlier in the morning, I would not have been the one to find that piece of paper and return it to the Binghams.  It would likely have been thrown into the trash.

The Lord is in the details and if we will listen, we can be too.  This thought gives me great peace and comfort.  Whenever I am tempted to think that He doesn't care or even pay attention to the things going on around me, I can bring to mind many, many more instances where I have seen His hand in the details of my life.

Copyright: Karen Larsen photography.  Isn't she an amazing photographer??!

 He clothes the lilies of the field.  He notes the fall of every sparrow.  We are His children, who have been fastened after His image.  His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, of us!  All the world is His creation.  I guarantee you that He is paying attention, to you and to me and to the details around all of us.  If you cannot hear Him, it is because you need to learn better how to listen.  Because I can promise you that He wants to communicate with you.  He knows stuff you need to know and He does not want to leave you out there without guidance and help.  Start doing the things He asks of you, learn how He has communicated with others, and see if you do not start to hear Him speak to you.  He is there.  He loves you.  You are His child and He will not leave you alone!  Reach out and ask.