When God uses an umbrella....

Sometimes God produces miracles that are so mind blowing that we can't see how people can not believe in Him. And sometimes, He moves in the simplest ways that we fail to see it was Him.

I want to share an experience I had the other day. I hope you take the time to read it through. Our God is an amazing God. When we took Mom shopping, she wanted to run into Dollar Tree. While she was in the checkout line, I noticed there were small umbrellas on the counter. It's an impulse buy ploy. So I acted on impulse and thought "I'll get a black one for work. You never know when you will need an extra umbrella." I paid for it and stuck it in the trunk of the car and thought no more about it. It was just an umbrella and it was just $1.00. No big deal.

BUT GOD (don't you just love those words) had another plan in mind. Fast forward to Monday when we were traveling home. We stopped in Corbin, KY to have lunch at the original KFC and to view the museum in the restaurant. On the curb in the parking lot sat an elderly man. He was very thin and gaunt. He had on a long sleeve shirt over a t-shirt, jeans and a Veteran ball cap. I didn't think much of it because he didn't appear to be panhandling or holding any signs. He just sat there looking down at the ground hunched over.

Once we got inside and were eating, I saw someone stop outside and speak to him. He came in shuffling behind them, still looking forlorn. They told him to order whatever he wanted and then they added some more to his order. They went their way to a table with family and he sat across from us and ate like he hadn't had a meal in a week. He kept his eyes downcast and ate every bite. When he was done, he cleaned up his mess. He even took a napkin and wiped off his table and got up and left, not speaking to a soul.

When we left, he had returned to his seat on the curb and was just sitting with head bowed again. It had started to sprinkle and by the time we got in the car (which was near the old man), it was a pretty steady mist and my shirt was getting soaked. Immediately, my mind came to the new umbrella I had in the trunk. I heard a voice in my head point out the old man was getting soaked. I popped the trunk and got out the umbrella and stepped up to the curb. He didn't even look up. I squatted down to his level and said "Excuse me sir, but it appears you are a little down on your luck right now." He said, yes ma'am. Just busy trying to survive." I said, "Well, I'm just passing through and can't do much for you, but I'd like you to have this umbrella." He finally looked up and smiled with a twinkle in his eye and said "Thank you, ma'am. That means a lot. God bless you."

As I got in the car, I was reminded of all the stories and bible lessons over the years that tell of how many times Jesus will visit us in various forms or situations and we ignore Him because we don't even realize it is something God is doing for us to help us grow. 

I will never see that old man again. I will never know what brought him to that place in his life. But I DO believe with all my heart that God led me to purchase an umbrella on Sunday in Barboursville, WV that I didn't even need because He knew there was a man in Corbin, KY who was going to be sitting in the rain on Monday with no umbrella and no place to go. You may think it is just a coincidence. But I know it wasn't. God knows our needs before we do and He will put His plan in action to make sure we are taken care of.