Alborada Jaltenco Sep 30 2015
Almost Missed It
Reflecting on our day provides us an opportunity to see God’s hand at work… my problem is… I don’t take enough time to reflect.
Every night as we tuck our kids into bed we ask them to share something they’re thankful for from the day. Some days this simple act springboards us into really great conversations. Other times it feels like an obligatory thanks and we move on to saying prayers. However, the habit of thankfulness cannot be overrated, so we stick with it.
Saturday’s time of gratitude had a profound impact on me as I felt God impress on my heart a message for our family.
The story begins with a short trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods. I’m the derelict dad that, despite being 3 weeks into the season, has been sending his kids to practices and games without the correct soccer ball. My oldest son has been using an oversized soccer ball and my younger son lost his ball (that looked like it was attacked by an alligator) so he’s been sharing with other teammates. Don’t be that dad. After spending way too much time over analyzing the plethora of soccer balls we headed to the check out.
Just as we were about to approach the cashier I noticed a young teenager wearing a Make A Wish t-shirt. I asked him if he went on the trip and he said, “yes, because of him” and he pointed at his brother. I asked what he had and he responded, “AML Leukemia.” I pointed at my son and said, “he had ALL Leukemia” and pointed to his port scar. The young man then stretched the neck of his shirt just enough to show his port scar to Ian. Twin battle scars from the same enemy years apart… it was a really cool moment. After a bit of small talk we paid for our items and headed to the car.
After loading up my son and daughter, I turned the key only to learn that we had a dead battery. With lunch time pressing in, I knew I had a small window of opportunity to get them back home before the “hangry” behavior kicked in. I couldn’t call my wife who was at a birthday party with our middle child, AAA would take too long, so I swallowed my pride and began asking strangers for jumper cables.
After striking out twice on requests for cables, I was losing hope. Then, I spotted the last two guys in the parking lot. Thankfully the one guy did have cables. When I asked him where he was parked, to my surprise he led me to his vehicle parked right next to ours! By the time he grabbed his cables, the other guy pulled up and offered us his vehicles battery for the jump. We were back on the road in no time.
The gravity of that 30 minute adventure didn’t sink in until I was tucking my kids in that night. While some may view this as a stretch… the message impressed on my heart was clear. God has been with us on this journey and will continue to be right beside us. He cares.
The darkest road we traveled as a family was my son’s journey with Leukemia. He contin
ues to struggle with being different as “the only kid at school that had cancer.” Seeing a fellow survivor did him a lot of good.
Despite feeling rejected and stranded after two folks weren’t able to assist us in a jump, two others approached and were able to lend a hand. In fact, the guy with the cables was parked right next to him… we just didn’t know it!
I encourage you to begin every day with a simple prayer for yourself and loved ones: “God show me your will for my life”, “grant us favor”, or “let your will be done”. Then, at the close of your day, take a few moments and reflect on the events.
Let’s be expectant that He will actually respond. Let’s be the kind of people that don’t miss the great things He has done for and through us!
Love this perspective, Matt. I can remember putting so much effort into trying to teach my kids thankfulness that sometimes I forgot to look for it. Thanks for the reminder.