I enrolled in Chandler Bolt's Self Publishing School several weeks ago. Minutes after I started praying, I received an email that said, "This training session isn't officially part of Self-Publishing School. Instead it's my gift to you for taking action and committing to your success." The free training was a webinar on the exact subject the workshop leader was scheduled to present about—something I've explored before, and was planning to dig into further. Long story short, I will be presenting the workshop.
Chance, or God's perfect timing? Throughout my life I have experienced many of these incidents that continue to remind me of God's loving hand in my life.
My husband and I had been discussing adoption for a few months. We looked into options, requested information from adoption agencies, and prayed for God's guidance. The night we sat down to fill out an application with Adoption Options, we received a phone call from our sister-in-law. Her sister wanted us to adopt her 8-month-old baby. The phone call came on a Thursday; we were asked to pick up the baby the next Monday. That is how our oldest daughter, Grace, joined our family. The day this post goes live just happens to be her 20th birthday.
On the more humorous side, last week I drove into Edmonton to pick up boxes of InScribe's newest anthology, Christmas: Stories & More. About half way home I noticed the gas tank was getting close to the quarter tank mark. I checked the "distance to empty" and figured out I should be able to get back to Glendon to fill up, with about 20 kilometers to spare. (When I filled up that morning, gas was less than a dollar a litre, but everywhere else it was at least $1.05/litre.) I knew there were at least two gas stations between where I was and the gas station in Glendon. When I passed the first gas station, I checked again and everything was right on track. Then, I went past the second gas station. The gauge seemed to be going down faster, but I figured I would still make it. When I was 16 kilometers from Glendon, the "distance to empty" also said 16. That's when I started to pray. "Lord, help me to make it to the gas station, please. I know I should have filled up before, but it's too late now." I reached the 8 kilometer mark, and now the gauge said the tank would be empty in two kilometers. I kept driving and praying, thinking about who I knew along the road in case the van stopped. The "distance to empty" read zero, and I still had six kilometers to go. I kept praying, and driving. Somehow, the van made it, not just to Glendon, but also to the gas station. After I filled up, the "distance to empty" was 638 kilometers. I had driven 674 kilometers. I'm so glad God had mercy, despite my foolish decision. But I have also decided I will fill up when the gas tank is no lower than a quarter tank from now on!
Have you experienced God's perfect timing in your life? I'd love to hear your stories. Please share in the comments below, and let's praise God together!
Every day is a new adventure for Ruth, her husband, Kendall, and their five children. Sometimes those adventures are self-inflicted!
Ruth is on a mission to help creative people live their passion. You can find out more about Ruth's adventures and RLS Creativity at http://ruthlsnyder.com
God is so good! (I'm commenting from my hospital bed!)
ReplyDeleteTracy,
DeleteThanks for your faithfulness. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Make sure you rest!
Wow, Ruth! Two more stories of God's love and faithfulness. I love your story about the expandable gas tank and your lovely adoption story. I know I can't steal your thunder on adoption stories, because your adoption stories are amazing.
DeleteHere's our adoption story. In mid January one year, my husband and I applied for our first child from Alberta Social Services. (This was still common and doable in the 70s.) By the end of June, we had our son Michael, a newborn. About the same time the next year, we applied for our second child. On July 21, my mother's birthday, Christie, also a newborn, joined our family. Our social worker plus all our friends and family were amazed.
Our social, who said he'd never seen adoption go so quickly or smoothly, asked, "Would you like to try again?" The next year, about March, we applied for our third child. On February 14 of the following year, Jenny, our Valentine's gift, arrived. For the third time our social worker asked if we'd like to try again. This time we told him we'd better wait and see.
We are thankful to the three young women, who carried our babies full term and then each made the tough decision to offer this baby to adoptive parents. Each of the young women did not feel, at the time, that she was in a position to raise a child. We knew we were blessed to be the recipients of these wonderful gifts, our children. God must have had something to do with the alignment of these situations.
Sharon,
DeleteI like your "expandable gas tank" description :)
Thanks for sharing your adoption stories. When God is at work, it is very evident. Even those who don't believe have to take note. Love it!
I am also grateful for the two young women in our lives who carried babies to full term instead of choosing abortion. They are definitely strong, brave women who put the needs of their children ahead of their own needs and desires.
Ruth, your "expandable gas tank" story reminded me of a story my mom has told about how she was driving from Calgary to Medicine Hat with her 4 young children in the car. She had no money and couldn't stop for gas, and about halfway in her trip the gas tank reached 0. She prayed all the way home and made it!! And we kids didn't even know about this until we were all grown up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your expandable gas tank story, Joy. Your mom's faith was obviously strong if you didn't know anything unusual was happening.
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