Rewind Forward

Last Friday I decided to do the majority of our Thanksgiving shopping, and instead of convenience, I went back to an old place. When we first moved into our home, we shopped at Winco for groceries. I remember going around this time 7 years ago, as we prepared for the holidays. We had been in our new home about a month, and we were still adjusting to the change. It was a good thing, positive, new, but the transition was hard. We were in a new place, taking it in that we were homeowners, and deciding what the holidays would look like because we needed rest and restoration from the process we had experienced to arrive there. When I walked into Winco a week ago, a memory of that season flooded back and as I entered the produce section, I remembered an encounter I had with a stranger in that very spot.

It was November 2017 and my son, and I were grocery shopping. I was in my head calculating, thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the things I had to get done that day, and kind of present as my son rambled about school, friends, and his new room. A kind woman said hello and because I was in my head, my response was drastically delayed. I apologized as I continued through the produce section. We passed one another again, and she started a conversation with me. She said she was drawn to my light and knew I was a believer, which gained my undivided attention.

Encounters like this, when other believers tell you specifics about your current concerns, who you are, and where you are going, are life altering because in the midst of worry, anxiety, and fear, God reminds you how much He loves you and how much you are on His mind. There was no way she could have known the things she knew, but by God, and although I had not become much of a crier yet, I found myself ugly crying in the sweet potatoes without caring about who saw us or what people thought. When He finished working through her, I left the store with clarity and confidence, two things I lacked when I entered.

As I look back 7 years, I am in awe of God. Some of the things we talked about happened this year, and although I may never see her again, I can visit that very spot and remember. It looks the same, it smells the same, and only God knows how many people that dear woman has impacted in produce. I am not worrying about the holidays and how we will make it special, but I have found myself thinking entirely too much about the when and the how of the new transition we are in. I was reminded, shopping for the same holiday years later, just like He had a plan then, He has a plan now. Just like He provided then, He will provide now. Our needs may change, but He is and will always be a great provider. I can rest knowing that He has an undefeated record with me. He has never failed. He has never abandoned me, and He has always kept His word.

Sometimes we have to rewind to move forward with the assurance that we need. Remembering what He has done, reminds us of how much we need Him, and that His plan is safe and secure. In this season, I am consistently rewinding to keep myself in a mind and heart of thankfulness and gratitude. I am also confidently walking forward because He already said, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I am full of hope and I am currently living in the future we talked about just 7 years ago.