I know I’m not the only one who struggles. However, keeping that in perspective is not the easiest task. A combination of things throughout the week brought about discouragement and I wasn’t (and quite frankly am still not) sure how to go about pursuing a route God called me to, all while watching a friend struggle while I was unable to help. After four days off of work, all of which were spent in the company of friends, I came home to get ready for my return to the frozen prison of the ice cream business (I actually love my job, but I feel it adds more flair to give it an unflattering name) and found all I wanted to do was sit down, hide from the mess the friends had created of my room, and eat an entire container of double dark chocolate gelato in one sitting (Which I have done before. . . not my proudest moment.)
Then I saw it.
Sitting on my bedside table was a stack of books held together by two blue rubber bands. Picking them up, I knew immediately who had left them. The stack contained a NIV translation of the Bible and three copies of The Prayer of Jabez (the original, the teen version, and the devotional). I flipped through the books for a moment, then moved to put them on the bookshelf before sending a simple “thank you” text message to the friend who left them for me. When I stood up, I felt a light weight hit my feet.
Looking down, I saw a small white envelope with familiar hand writing on the front reading, “For Romania. . .”. Inside were five $20 bills.
God is good, always. Even in the most discouraging times, he shows himself in the most unexpected ways.
“In all things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us,”
Romans 8:27
