After close to 12 hours on the road, I found myself driving into a small, unassuming West Texas town. The old grain elevator stands tall with more stories to tell than I can begin to imagine. The sun was beginning to set over the flat lands of the new border town I call home, and something hit me. Something I had not felt in a very long time.
The presence of the Holy Spirit.
Tears began to run down my cheeks as I thought about my answered prayer. I was returning from a week-long visit to my friend of a lifetime. We were in beginning band together. She was hit by a drunk driver 16 years ago and has been in constant pain…until many prayers were answered through a medical breakthrough. Her pain is gone and the light in her eyes is back! It is such an amazing transformation that the realness of what I saw in her did not hit me until I was almost home.
I had said her name aloud every week for the past 16 years during prayers in church when I thought she would never get better…but God knew she would.
I was then thinking about the other names I would say aloud each week and realized that those prayers had been answered as well. A dear friend in a painful marriage has a new lease on life. My Caeleb and his health…where he is now is beyond my wildest dreams. And my husband’s spirit to be renewed…it’s amazing to see how God works through him.
As for where I am living, that is one of the most beautiful blessings of all. My family needed a place to experience the One who has redeemed us…the One who never lets go even when we do. We needed a place to find our hearts and nurture our souls. I never dreamed it would be in Farwell, Texas, but God has given us everything we need. And for that I am beyond grateful.
In six weeks, we have created a home that I yearn to be in. A home where I watch the birds from my office window, I see the neighbor kids playing, and yes, I smell what my dad would call “money” occasionally wafting through the streets.
And for these things I give great thanks.
Today I Am Thankful For:
- nail polish
- Sunday mornings
- bright eyes
- cooking for my family
- rain
I’m beyond words at the moment. You were my answered prayer for never giving up on me even when I had nothing to give. Loved our visit. There will be many more. Thanks for your spoken prayers for me all these years. I’m thrilled BOTH our eyes sparkle and the Holy Spirit is shining through.