For me, life is made up of moments. Most of my days are mundane, with little pieces of joy and wonder mixed in. Like a gorgeous sunset or a commute that takes only 25 minutes instead of 60. The bunny that is there to greet me when I arrive at work. Laughs with new co-workers that assure me I am accepted. That certain smile that my husband gives me that melts my heart.
One of my favorite things about God is that He delights in me being delighted. How do I know this? For one, scripture tells me, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) Not only does scripture tell me this, I know from personal experience that, often, God gives me the desires of my heart even when I am not delighting in Him.
Case in point: my recent vacation when my husband and I visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. It had been a trip I'd been planning for nearly a year. I bought tickets to the Enshrinement Ceremony months ago, then purchased tickets for the Gold Jacket Dinner a few months back. I could go on and on about how God moved, against all odds, to give me tickets for both of these events, but that is another story.
Two years ago Ric and I visited the Hall of Fame, vowing to return one day when our favorites were inducted. We were doubly blessed when Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos (one of his faves) and Kurt Warner (one of mine) were due to be inducted in the same year (2017). As soon as I found out, I secretly went to work planning the perfect trip.
Needless to say, there were countless roadblocks along the way. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, with no problems. But on Friday? All hell broke loose. It all started when we arrived at the Avis rental car counter on Friday at noon and continued throughout the day. We spent over 40 minutes in line while two employees worked on one of the busiest weekends of the year. After we received our "upgrade" rental with more dents than a Colorado hail-damaged car, dirty and smelling like smoke, we made our trek to our hotel. Once there we decided to take a walk at the same time an Eastern downpour decided to show up, drenching Ric as he ran back to the hotel to get our car as I found shelter under a nearby store front. When we returned to our hotel we found the power was out, dashing our hopes to freshen up and get ready for the big night ahead. I was just a bit distressed, to say the least.
We overcame all of those obstacles only to get caught in a traffic jam after a huge accident as we got word of a tornado warning right before we reached our destination. While we were stuck in traffic I looked over at Ric and said, "Tonight is going to be awesome, given all of the roadblocks we have faced." And, indeed, it was.
I'd like to say that I took all of this in stride, counted my blessings and trusted God the entire way. That simply was not the case. I said more than a few bad words, threw a pity party and wondered why life couldn't just be smooth for a few hours.
And even though I had been far from delighting in the LORD, guess what? He gave me the desire of my heart anyway. It may sound trite and petty and ridiculous, but I learned, long ago, that God wants us to pray about EVERYTHING. And so I do. You see, to me when He says He longs to give me the desires of my heart, that is everything that my heart desires. But I am not talking about material things here: not a mansion or a million dollars or the fountain of youth. I am talking about those things that, in the middle of the night when I am wide awake, my heart longs for, the things that money cannot buy.
Before our trip, as Ric and I laid in bed, I prayed for our trip: for health, safety, for a good time, all of the usual things. But I also prayed that we would be able to meet our heros, Terrell and Kurt. I never even asked to meet all of the other inductees.
So on that Friday night, after the rental car lines, the power outages, the downpours and the car crashes, God was God and He lavished His love on me in a way that only I could feel. Oh, I'm sure He did many other amazing things that night, but I needed what I needed and He met me exactly in that place.
At dinner, God sat me at the perfect table with the perfect people who knew the ropes. He sat me with complete strangers who soon became friends. He sat me with people who loved Him...and desired to see others live their dreams. I mean, it could not have been orchestrated any better.
On that Friday night I met Kurt Warner, an inductee who I had grown up watching play football, a man I admired on a very deep level because of his faith and because he beat all odds to play in the NFL. As a bonus, God threw in a pretty personal meet and greet with all but one of the other inductees. I was like a kid in my very own candy shop. And I know God was smiling.
After I met Kurt, who was the last of the inductees that was paraded through our dining room, I walked back to our table sobbing while my new-found friend took pictures. Now I am sure that everyone that witnessed my behavior thought it was a bit over the top, that I had taken my hero-worship too far. Sure, some of my emotion was because I had met a man that had been so inspirational to me...but that was not the main thing. To me, I felt like God had reached down and shown me how much He loved me and that He had truly given me the desire of my heart. Life had been a bit stressful leading up to this trip and He gave me a little piece of heaven on Earth.
I know that there are many people out there that wanted to meet their favorites at this event, but didn't get the chance to. I realize that. I wish everyone could have experienced what I did. Believe me, I have been the disappointed person much more than the person who got her way. But on this night, at this time, I received grace and mercy in a phenomenal way. And I am forever grateful.
Moments of Bliss
