"When passion and skill work together, the end result is often a masterpiece." -Unknown So, I've been talking a lot lately about these hats that I've been crocheting, and many people have requested more information about these hats, what I'm doing, what my prices are, etc. So here I am- writing about my hats. Since there are a few main questions that everyone...
“I think I might understand the way time works: how its passing is impossible to see but when it's gone, you feel it.” - Lysley Tenorio Time is a funny thing. It has a way of seeming to pass so slowly in the moment, and yet eventually you look back and wonder where it's gone. Each day may well seem as long as...
"Miracles
are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is
written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to
see." -C.S. Lewis
People
are always saying that sometimes, when you pray for an answer, it
doesn't come as a sudden bolt of lightening or a really obvious,
“wet-rag-to-the-face” answer. We like to remind each other that
sometimes it's subtle, and you have to be listening really
hard in order to catch it.
But
then sometimes, God answers a prayer in a totally unexpected way that
you just can't help but notice.
A
little while ago, I did a blog post about my project, “Living Water
Hats.” (If you haven't read the post, click HERE.) I'd been kinda
worrying about that post before I actually published it. More than
normal, I mean. I kept thinking, “What if I offend someone?” I
don't know what exactly I thought was so offensive about it, but I
went back and forth on whether or not I was going to actually post
that. In fact, it sat on my “bookshelf” as a draft for at least
two or three days before I got up the nerve to push that alluring
little button and publish it.
But
for all that, I felt very strongly that I needed
to publish it. Someone out there needed to read it, so I just had to
get over myself and put it out there. I mean, really. Do I take
myself so seriously as to think that someone might actually be
offended by something I post? (Offending someone is one of those
“I'll know I've hit the big time when...” things for me.)
So,
for several days before I even wrote
the loaves and fishes post, I had been praying that God would open up
a door for me to be able to sort of spread the word on my hats
project. I wanted to keep it going, and I really
wanted to get the Jesus Well funded by the end of this year. I was
praying that He would show me some way to grow the project. A way for
more people to hear about it and get involved.
Then
on Wednesday, I was approached by a really neat person at church. The
worship leader, actually. His name is Mr. Matt, and he's a
photographer. (You can check him out over at wearesaltbox.com) I've
always thought he was really awesome, and the fact that he wanted to
talk to me was very
cool. (You should have been inside my head when he said he read my
blog! I kid you not, I sounded like a normal teenage girl would if
Taylor Lautner shook her hand. Eeeek!)
He told that he read the aforementioned blog post, and that he really
liked what I had to say. He also said that he wanted to buy a hat
from me and not only that,
but he wanted to help me advertise my hats. I think my jaw might have
dropped when he said that.
It
was one of those moments where there's no mistaking- it was an answer
to prayer. It's not a coincidence. It's not an accident. It's a
God-thing. And it was a really good reminder that God really does
hear our prayers. He really is listening. He's not too busy. He
didn't fall asleep. He's not on vacation. He's there. And He has a
plan that you cannot even dream of.
I
like to think that I have a pretty good (and perhaps chronically
overactive) imagination, but I could never
have imagined that. I had imagined someone might want to buy a hat after
reading my blog post, but had never even considered someone wanting to
help me tell other people about them, too. It's incredible! And though it's already been a while since the conversation, I'm still awed by it and feel like smiling like a fool any time I think about it.
Here's something for you to remember- God hears your prayers. No
matter what seems to be going on right now, He has a plan. And that
plan that He has- the plan for your fishes and
your prayers- is bigger, grander, and more awe-inspiring than you can
even dream of.
So
just hold on for now. God is telling a story through your life, and
sometimes His words are written too big for you to read. Someday you
will look back from afar and see just how amazing it really was.
And
that's what a miracle is...
(Oh! And Mr. Matt? If you're reading this, just know that everything I said about you was completely true, and it wasn't just flattery. I meant every word I said.)
