It was late Sunday evening. The kids were finally off to bed. My husband and I had just settled down to relax in the living room with a TV show, when all of the sudden . . . there came a loud KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK on our front door.
Immediately my husband and I turned to each other with confused and slightly annoyed looks on our faces. Who on earth would be knocking on our door at 9:07 PM on a Sunday night? My first thought was that it was a neighborhood teenager doing some late night fundraising for a school event. (Yes, this has happened to us before.)
We could hear some chatter outside and then we heard a car drive off down our street.
My husband got up from the couch to check out the scene from our front porch. I could not hear noises or voices anymore. A few seconds passed. Now I was really curious. I stretched my neck to peer around the corner of the hallway. I kept saying, “Who’s there?”
In a very shocked and laughter filled response, he said, “Come here. Someone just left something for you at the door.”
“WHAT?!” I said. Who would drop something off at my door this late at night and drive away?
As I walked over to my dining room, I saw that my husband had just placed a beautiful giant orchid and a container of KozyShack rice pudding on the table. He said, “This has to be from someone who knows you.” Because that sweet treat is a very specific match for my taste buds.
Neatly tucked away in the cellophane wrapping around the orchid was an envelope with my name on the front. So I pulled it out to see if my mysterious sender would be revealed. Inside a beautiful Christian card was a generous Panera’s gift card (one of my favorite places to buy chai tea lattes) and the message, “Hope your heart sees God’s love for you in unmistakable ways. Love you girl!” It was signed by two of my friends, “L” & “N”.
Shocked. Hysterically laughing. Loved.
Immediately I dialed the phone number for “N.” No answer. Then I dialed “L.” She picked up around the third ring.
“Did you just drop something off on my porch and drive away?” I knowingly asked. (In the background I could hear the giggles of two adult females in a moving car.)
“Maybe . . .” replied “L” in a playful tone.
I thanked them both for this uplifting delivery of lovely surprises and asked what prompted this action.
“L” had just gotten a new minivan, and was taking “N” for a spin in it . . . so instead of just aimlessly riding around, they wondered how they could put this test-drive time to good use. I guess the Holy Spirit brought me to mind. They quickly purchased and gathered all of the gifts, and then gave that new vehicle some godly mileage on the odometer by driving them over to me.
Have you ever been the receiver of a drive-by blessing? This is not a common experience for me, but I can tell you that my entire evening was elevated through this thoughtful act of kindness:) My heart was indeed refreshed with God’s love spoken THROUGH the actions of my fellow sisters in Christ.
What could your Holy Spirit prompted actions lead to . . . ? Listen. Move. Uplift.
“And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.” (Philemon 1:6-7 NLT)
“L” told me that the following song lyrics sum up WHY this impromptu blessing happened: “The One He Speaks Through” by Mandisa
Car stalled, side of the road
Everybody looking out the windows
For some reason you feel the need to help
Or maybe, somewhere you're standing in line
An old friend comes to your mind
And you get the urge to call and see if all is well
Do you ignore it or go for it?
Is this human or divine?
All these promptings tell us something
They're all proof that He's alive
He might use your words to heal a heart that has been bruised
He might use your hands to rescue
He might use your whisper, maybe your smile
To tell somebody that they're worthwhile
You might be the one He speaks through
The one He speaks through
This God, great as He is
Still uses all of us to accomplish
His perfect plan to reach the world
So don't ignore it, just go for it
We are led by the divine
To be His heart, His love
And show this broken world that He's alive
You might be the one He speaks through
The one He speaks through
The one He speaks through, yeah
I remember I was in a pit
And you prayed me out of it
I bet you didn't even know that you
Were the one that He spoke through
So listen, keep on listening, oh...