God is WOW

Recently one of the youth at our church used this phrase in describing the awesomeness of God. God is WOW! I completely agree with him. Sometimes God is so amazing that you really can't even put it into words. You are just left with the awe.

This afternoon Ariel and I were due for a girl date. We had been apart while she was at camp all week long, and I needed some time alone with my daughter. It didn't have to be something big and elaborate, just something the two of us could do. We decided it was time for a shopping trip to the mall.

I needed some new hand soap for the bathrooms, and I love to shop at Bath and Body Works. They were having their buy 3 hand soaps, get 3 free sale. The perfect time for us to go. Before we went into the store, we got a coupon for a free lip balm with the purchase of $10. So right away we knew we were going to get some great deals.

As we were standing in line at the register, Ariel noticed this anti-bacterial hand soap in the shape of a cute little duck. Immediately she knew she had to have it. We checked the price and it was only $6. She was calculating how long it was going to take to work for that $6. Every Saturday we have a few jobs the kids can do to earn a dollar at. Ariel had already done her job this morning so she figured she would only need another $5. We were discussing whether or not I could find some other jobs around the house for her to do maybe this week, because she just had to have that duck! She also voiced a little concern because there were only 3 ducks left, what if she didn't get the money fast enough??

When it was our turn at the register, the lady told us, "I've never seen this happen before. The lady in front of you wanted you to have this duck. She left me $7 so you could buy it." We quickly turned around, tears in our eyes, wanting to know who this lady was? I saw no one, and didn't even remember who I was waiting in line behind. God is so WOW. We were both just overwhelmed with emotion. I started crying. I couldn't help myself. Here is a woman in the store, she has no idea who we are, but she wanted my daughter to have that duck. She must have heard our conversation and wanted to be a blessing to us. Ariel said she's going to keep the duck forever, and named it "Blessed," because that's exactly how we felt.

Now that probably was one of the nicest things I've had happen to me in a long time, but God wasn't even finished yet. The lady at the register rang up our items, including the duck, and our free lip balm, and then went on to say, "You're really going to love me, because I have a coupon for you too. You can choose one of the lotions or body washes from our Signature Collection." My original reason for shopping at Bath and Body Works was to look for a matching lotion to go with some Suave body wash I had bought at Walmart the week before. I loved the scent and on the bottle it said it was compared to Bath and Body Works. But when I checked it out, it was $10.50 and I just didn't think I could spare the money. It's so easy to buy things when you need them, but it's hard to buy yourself something just for the fun of it. I didn't think it was necessary, so I talked myself out of getting the bottle of lotion. So when that women said I got to choose one for free, I about started sobbing at the counter. How could God be so good? Sometimes it's just beyond my understanding. I was able to see that he would want to bless my daughter, but even to go so far to give me something special too? God is so WOW!

When Ariel and I finally left the store with all our goodies, we were in awe, just plain shock and awe. We brought along some coupons we had for free Chick-Fil-A ice cream cones. When I gave the coupon to the man there, he informed us they were out of cones, and would it be okay if he just put it in a cup? We told him of course that was fine. I mean how can we be choosey when it's free? That man found two cups and proceeded to FILL THEM UP. We were supposed to get small ice cream cones, but these were extra large cups. Ariel and I ate half of our cups and couldn't even finish them!

We serve such an amazing God! He never ceases to amaze me!

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)

Thank you, God, for today! You have done more than I ever could have imagined for myself, and I am grateful. You shower me with your love, and my cup overflows with your blessings. I love you, God!