Yarn Bomb Update

This is the first one I put out. Had to leave one at work. I hope it brought
a smile to the person who took it home.

Here's the pile of hearts in my front seat before I left work. Only had about 30,
but that's not bad for only a few hours of work. They went together quickly at
less than ten minutes each even with the fuzzy embellishments.

 So yeah, I had a blast giving out the hearts on Valentine's Day! I know I'm just one person and I didn't have many to give out, but to see the smiles these little things brought to people's faces - well, the time and effort was worth it.

I prayed that God would use these little things to glorify Himself - that's why I made sure not to put my personal contact info on any of them, though I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a temptation. I've been attempting to live in a more open-handed (generous) way and God's been helping me with that - He's been opening my eyes to small opportunities through which I can bless others with the meager resources He's given to me, be it money, talent, or time.

I want to share one story that made this crazy heart bomb project worth while. It surprised me once more with how totally in control of everything God is - how He uses seemingly insignificant choices we make to work out the timing of things - to lead us to the time and place He has planned for us and to provide the resources and develop in us the mindset that can be used to bless people to His glory.

Friday, I had finally gotten out of the parking lot at work around 12:20pm and had planned put put a few hearts out before I had lunch with my mother. I knew I didn't have long before she arrived to meet me for lunch and wanted to get started putting out hearts; so as I cranked the car, I thought I'd hit Walmart first and pointed the car in that direction.

I was waiting at the stop light at the intersection of 64 and 19 and noticed that my mother was also sitting at that light. Surprised to see her already in town and knowing if I continued going towards Walmart it would be a good five to ten minutes before I could get turned back around to meet her at Subway like we'd planned, I pulled out of the lane I was in to get into the left turn lane. I figured I'd drop some hearts off at Winn Dixie real quick then meet her at Subway, saving Walmart for later and not making her wait too long for me.

Well, I parked at Winn Dixie, put out a few hearts and sat back in my car. I saw the text that told me Mom was waiting for me, and as I put the key in the ignition, I noticed two people sitting in a truck beside me. I don't know if they were there when I chose my parking spot or not, but they were there when I was getting ready to go. I had the uncharacteristic thought that it would be nice to hand a heart to someone (I'm really not the most extroverted person on the planet - leaving the hearts for people to find is definitely easier).

I took a second look and noticed they had their driver side window down. Before I could over-think it, I rolled down my passenger side window, held up a heart, and said, "Hi, could I give this to you?"

She got out of the truck and took it with a smile. We had a short conversation and I found out she works as a NICU nurse at Ochsner's, and because of the encouragement of me giving her the heart, she admitted that they had just run out of gas. She was not sure how she was going to get to work that day.

People who know me are aware of the fact that I don't carry cash. If I have any cash, it's usually the lots-of-pennies-in-the-bottom-of-my-purse type of cash. Well, two days prior to this, uncharacteristically I had gathered together some dollars that had been floating around the house and folded them in a coin purse I keep with me. I knew I had five dollars and it was the only cash I had.

The nurse said something about how strange it was that I would offer them a heart, it's what opened her up to telling me what was going on with them (the no more gas thing). Again, before I over-thought it, I said I'd give them something if I had it; how much would be good? She said five dollars and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I happily gave her those five crinkled dollars, we said our goodbyes, and I went on to lunch, super encouraged by how God arranged that meeting - how He allowed me to bless them with something as small as a crochet heart and a few dollars. Had I not had a work meeting Sunday (something that had been postponed to that particular Sunday), I'd not have been off at noon that day. Had I not been running a little late getting out of the office, and had not seen Mom at the light and ultimately decided to turn at the light instead of going on to Walmart, and had I not decided to put some hearts out before lunch instead of going directly to meet Mom... so many seemingly insignificant choices and events led me to that specific place, that specific time and equipped me for that meeting (with the crochet heart, the eyes to see the need, the courage to roll down the window and speak, the cash to address that need)...

She asked me if I was an angel, showing up at just that moment and giving them a little cash for gas. I was really clear that I'm not an angel, neither am I perfect. I told them that God was in control of all of it - God worked that one out for them (and for me). It was a really encouraging encounter. I felt really small, really humbled by it. The idea that the God of the universe would use me, who in the grand scheme of things is really a nobody, to bless someone in any way makes me feel fortunate and tiny and happy.

I saw several other smiles that day as I stopped people walking to their cars at Walmart or at the library or at other places to give them the hearts, but nothing encouraged me more that day than God seeming to tell me (again) that He is in control of everything and that I don't have to worry about any of it. The world may burn up tomorrow, but God is in control of it all.