You know I love me some “God moments”. Sometimes I feel the nudging to go through the Dunkin Donuts drive thru where I get my Mocha Iced Coffee, and hand the cashier one of my Ellie May’s cards to hand to the person behind me when they tell them theirs was paid for. I always look in the rearview mirror and see who it is God has nudged me to bless that day. I always find myself trying to imagine their story.. do they look happy? Sad?…Know Jesus? Never heard of Him? Can I get outta there before they get their stuff and realize I paid for it? (Sometimes that’s a challenge in the mornings if traffic is heavy. I speed out of there like I just stole the last chocolate covered, sprinkled, glazed donut -trying not to be seen!) One morning last winter I was running late for work, yet something told me to pull in. Later that day, there was a post/picture on the Ellie May’s Garden FB page and I didn’t have to imagine Britney’s story. She shared it and how much that random act of kindness meant to her. She had left her homemade coffee on the roof of her car. Someone had been rude to her in the store. She was wondering if anyone even cared anymore… and then she got handed her coffee and the card. When I read that I was so glad I listened to that still small voice. The cool thing about God is that if I hadn’t listened, He would’ve just used someone else. But man! what an awesome, humbling feeling it is when you’re the one He uses!
Dunkin Donuts Drive Thru and Heaven
So today I am running late, but got that nudging to pull in the DD Drive Thru, paid for the one behind me, and knew this day would come. $19.97 for the guy behind me! He was obviously very hungry or buying for the office. Smiling I said to my Dunkin Donut lady – “Ouch! I knew this day would come.” we both laughed and she said, “We call you the ‘wave maker’ here.” I said “What?!?” She said “Yep, you always start a wave when you come through. You’ll pay for someone’s and drive off and then it goes on for the next 8 or 10 cars. It’s really kind of cool to experience from in here.” That took me by surprise as I had never really thought about anyone other than the person in line right behind me. As I drove off and was processing what she shared, I had this vision come to mind (thus prompting today’s blog): The similarity between the Dunkin Donuts Drive thru and how I hope heaven is for me. In the wave at the drive-thru, the random act of kindness initiated trickled down the row and people I will never know, or didn’t catch a glimpse of in my rear view, were blessed. As I drove away I pictured myself entering a room in heaven and saw those souls I had known and helped. And then I saw a group of souls I’d never seen before. They were waiting to meet and welcome me. One young lady came up to me and said “Because you spoke hope and love into my mom she didn’t take her life. She became the mom I needed her to be.” A young boy said, “Because my dad read your book he got help for his addiction and was around to be the dad I needed.” And there were more waiting to meet me and tell me how while I never knew them, I had still affected their lives through a series of events. That thought hit me like a ton of bricks at 7:15 this morning as I made my commute towards work. Just a couple of months ago I had a dream that there was a young boy sitting on bleachers in my old high school gym. He had his head in his hands and was crying. I walked up to him and said “What’s wrong?!?” He said “You never told me! Why did you never tell me about Jesus?!?!” I just looked at him in shock and with sadness as I said “I didn’t know you?!?!” That dream haunted my thoughts for quite awhile as I tried to figure out it’s meaning. I came to the same conclusion I reached with today’s positive, happy vision. The little boy on the bleachers was symbolic of those opportunities to reach out that were missed. This mornings vision, those opportunities pursued. We never know what effects our actions will have on others. Positive or negative, every action has a far-reaching chain reaction. It was a good reminder for me to be sure I’m sowing the right seeds and making the right waves!
Ellie May's Garden of Grace 