Listening to Nudges

Yesterday I let you take a peek into the land of my past, and I shared a bit about another person who impacted me by doing something so little, but to me it was so big.

And this week, Ryan and I had a chance to be that for someone else. I wanted to tell you about it, not because of any good we did, but because it boosted our faith to hear from the other side how God used a tiny yes from us to be a GIANT yes to someone else.

I was scrolling through Facebook late in the afternoon - just to see if I'd missed anything earth-shattering. I caught a little glimpse of a note from a friend who asked if anyone in the general vicinity would have a vehicle large enough to help her transport a potter's wheel to the public library, where she needed to give a demonstration.

I almost scrolled right past it, but then I remembered. I remembered the days when I was single, and I had the occasional need to transport something that didn't fit in my itty bitty car. I hated asking for help and rarely did so, but every now and then I would get brave enough to dare to ask...and I would sit in a near-panic while I waited to see if anyone would be nice enough to say yes.

It just so happened that I have a husband who owns a pickup truck and muscles. I sent him a quick text and asked if he would have a few minutes to help her transport the wheel after work. I wasn't sure he'd see the text in time, but I thought I'd try. And much to my surprise, he answered immediately. And he said yes. {That part wasn't a surprise.}

So after work, he met my friend at her house, loaded up the heavy potter's wheel, and drove it to the library. And a couple hours later, after we had dinner, we did the whole favor in reverse. It was no big deal with us. It took a few minutes put about two miles on the car. We were happy to help.

It was only when we got back to her house and delivered the wheel back to its resting place, that she shared the fuller story.

She had planned to paint a picture at the demonstration that night. It was all arranged in her mind. But when she awakened that day, she heard the familiar urge of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't picture painting day. He wanted her to do pottery.

Being a person much like me, she argued with Him. She said she didn't have time to prepare new thoughts, to gather the supplies, and most of all...how would she get that potter's wheel downtown? She couldn't carry it alone. Her car wasn't big enough. It wouldn't work.

But the nudge continued.

And so did the arguing.

And finally, she offered the compromise. If He would work out the details, she would do pottery. And so it was, that afternoon, she put the request on Facebook. A fleece of sorts. If He provided, she would do the plan B art project.

What I saw as a quick request that we could answer with no problem...what I saw as a chance to offer a quick blessing to a person in need...was so much more.

This was a moment in which God was proving to His daughter that He could provide her needs to honor His direction. And Ryan and I got to be part of it.

Do you even know how much my heart soared in hearing that? God is always up to so much more than we know. Wonder how many times a day we are chosen to be part of it? And I wonder how many times we say yes?