My friend, the lovely Lady Margaret Feinberg, has a new book and 7-session Bible Study called Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God (releasing Christmas Day)—a personal invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life. Wonderstruck will help you:
- Recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine
- Unearth extraordinary moments on ordinary days
- Develop a renewed passion for God
- Identify what’s holding you back in prayer
- Discover joy in knowing you’re wildly loved
To learn more, watch the Wonderstruck Video, here.
In the last couple of weeks, while reading an advanced copy of this book, I’ve been challenged to see God in the mundane – my trips to the grocery store, in the drop off line at preschool, and in the midst of fixing dinner. I’m not sure why I was surprised when God revealed Himself to me but I was indeed Wonderstruck last week when I was at ALDI.
It was a routine shopping trip for me, which means my head is down, my eyes are focused only on what I need to pick up, and of course I’m mentally calculating the cost of the trip to ensure that I’m within my budget. I know, you wish you had my life.
As I dodged shoppers in each aisle, I saw a middle aged man joking lightly with a woman whom I assumed was his wife. However, when we checked out, it became evident that the man had some challenges and the woman was either a sister or someone helping him with his grocery shopping, not his spouse. The cashier – who is a lovely woman I chat with weekly – made small talk as he checked out, retrieving his wallet from his fanny pack.
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? I love Thanksgiving! I love the food. I just love this time of the year. I simply love this season.
He responded:
I love the Christmas season. Because it’s all about Jesus.
I know it wasn’t the most profound statement. And it wasn’t something that I didn’t already know. But the heartfelt way this man gave his words to the cashier was a gift for me. Instantly I was caught up in the wonder of who God is and how He works. My eyes misted with tears as I glanced over at the woman who was helping him standing and waiting to help him bag his groceries. “He’s very sweet.” was her response.
All sorts of emotion welled up inside of me. Here was a man, who many might consider mentally humble, with the treasures of the universe wrapped up inside of his soul. And this woman?! Who was she? Why was she there helping? I wanted to throw myself at her and hug her tightly. For her sake {and probably mine}, I restrained myself and went out to unload my groceries. Instantly I regretted not saying something to this duo who God had used to reveal Himself that morning.
So I paused in the parking lot; moved extra slow to be sure to have a chance to say something. I offered to return his cart, giving him my quarter from cart “rental.” Of course he didn’t want the quarter but I finally convinced him and simply said, “Your words really touched me today.” Turning to the woman, I choked out “Thank you for what you do.” I’m sure they were both puzzled by the nearly blubbering woman in the parking lot, as was my sweet four year old Princess.
This moment, was so so so mundane in my life. I go to ALDI weekly {sometimes more}. I don’t anticipate the presence of God. I anticipate the presence of produce and dry goods. And yet through this man’s honesty and kindness and through that woman’s generosity and servanthood, I was struck by the many things I must miss daily. The holiness in doing laundry, the sacred of brewing coffee, the worship of homework help. My concerns of doing things “right” when it comes to my faith – am I reading my Bible? am I serving? am I living the Gospel so the world knows who Jesus is? – blind me to seeing God when He’s right in front of me . . . even in the aisles of ALDI.
Follow Margaret’s snarky, funny, and inspirational posts on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog. You can learn more about this great book by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck where she’s offering some crazy promos right now with up to $300 of FREE stuff. I’ve seen the book for as low as $7.57 ($14.99 retail) on Amazon for all you savvy shoppers.
So where have you seen the wonder of God in your life?
*This post contains an affiliate link. So while you score a great deal on a book I LOVE, you might also help the Royal Family fund their 3-6 month emergency fund. And for that, we royally thank you!
Be a Money Saving Lord or Lady! Join us daily for savings, tips, and fun @ The Queen of Free.
www.queenoffree.net
www.queenoffree.net
