The Dessert Angel Strikes Again

A curious thing has been happening during this crazy pandemic we find our selves in. I have observed and mentioned several times along the way that God has consistently been showing up in many different situations. From the hand sanitizer to the toilet paper, the paper towels or the chicken. Right as I'm getting to the very last of something on hand, something I haven't seen on store shelves in a long time suddenly appears out of nowhere. It happened again this week when I suddenly found cleaning wipes after about a 3 month drought, and I was down to the last few. And yes, I was totally mocked by the store clerk for my over excitement at my rare find - I thought I was seeing things for a minute! 

And as time has gone on, I'm slowly learning to not worry about whatever may be the current need of the moment or fiasco on the news. Am I perfect at this? Hardly. But I'm learning.

The most curious thing of all has been in all of my little wants, and this just never gets old. I went through a pretty gut-wrenching time of it a few years ago, when a lot of very difficult things suddenly came to a head. While I know God loves me, after some of the things I have encountered in life, it has been a constant exercise in trust over the years to really believe this in the core of my being.

One day near the start of the shutdowns, I went up to church with my kids to walk and pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross. I knew things were about to really clamp down with the latest governor's orders and as I walked from station to station, I had to really face my fears and let go. I remember distinctly giving my will to God and trusting that He has it all under control, no matter how unseen I may have felt at that moment. I chose to rest in what I couldn't see or control and to content myself with being at home, hidden away and quiet for as long as it takes for Him to mold me into whatever He desires for my life at this particular time period. This was no easy prayer.

A few hours later, someone showed up at my door with a big smile and a favorite dessert, one I had a serious hankering for at the store the previous evening, but I chose my family's needs first. Because let's face it, the freezer section of my fridge can only hold so much during a pandemic, and yet, there was exactly enough space. We'll call this person, who shall remain nameless, the Dessert Angel.

At the time I anticipated this being simply a one-off event, that God showed me I was known and seen in all the little details of my life, even my little wants, but God had much deeper soul work to do within me. And we know from Scripture that God never does anything by halves.

This became a routine.

I can not explain how God does it, or how this always times out just right, but whenever I get a serious hankering for this treat, whenever I'm really having a hard day, or when I choose to just rest content in the quiet of the moment and to be hidden away from the world, settled into God's will in the center of my soul, the Dessert Angel strikes again. Somehow, that treat shows up again, with a big smile, along with whatever little encouragement I need at that very moment.

But, it's not just that this particular treat shows up. It's that this person somehow finds the exact moment that my life is in total disarray to show up for a quick drop off. I can keep my house so organized and stuff humming along at times, and it is the one day that the kids tear the house apart, or I'm still in my pjs, or worse, I'm still in my pjs with stains all over them from cooking or scrubbing the bathrooms that morning. My hair is in total disarray, the entry way of my house is littered with toys and the contents of whatever closet I'm completely emptying out to reorganize and I might or might not have even bothered to shower, or maybe even forgot to brush my teeth on a bad day, in all the flurry. Because I'm just that type of person. 

Squirrel!!!

Yep! THIS is when the door bell rings. Again. And, as a good friend says, "There's no way you can ignore the doorbell because you know they know you're home." Yep - there's no escaping it. Life is what it is. I am what I am. And yet, the Dessert Angel kept coming back. Totally undeterred by the utter chaos that is the life of five people stuck at home during a global pandemic and nationwide chaos.

Alas, our Dessert Angel days came to a close as all good things do once God has taught us His lessons and accomplished His will. But the lessons learned will always be with me...

God sees all. He knows all. And He loves us no matter what. And He loves you equally as much.

It doesn't matter how messy your life is. It doesn't matter what you look like that day or what you have or have not accomplished. It doesn't matter whether you are a cluttered sort or a super-organized person. It doesn't matter if a single other person in this world knows you're alive. It doesn't matter if the whole world even sees you as a leper. God sees. And that is enough. And He can work with any situation or through any person in order to accomplish His will. There is nothing going on in this world right now, screwed up and beyond help as it may appear, that He does not see and is not intimately concerned with. And He loves you anyway, warts and all. He just rings the bell and waits for you to invite Him into the mess.

I was mulling over all of this last night and feeling a little wistful when this thought occurred to me...the fun isn't over. It's really just beginning! Now, it's my turn. It's my turn to be someone else's Dessert Angel. That's what it's really all about in life anyway, and in that way, the joy is without end. I saw a cute story on social media this week about a school teacher who had all the students fill up a balloon, write their name on it, and toss it into the hallway. The balloons were all mixed up and the students were given the task of finding their own balloon within 5 minutes. This quickly proved to be an impossible task. So, they stopped and changed directions. They had each student pick up a balloon and return it to the person whose name was on it. Within two minutes, all the kids had their own balloon again. The moral of the story was...we find our happiness, not in looking for it just for ourselves, but in giving it to others. In other words, we find our happiness in living out the gospel message of Christ's love. Love wasn't meant to be hoarded, but to be given away, because it is in giving love away that we find its true meaning. True love can not be sought by measuring up, but only received, or it isn't really love at all.

St. Teresa of Avila once said, "Christ has no body on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses the world. Christ has no body on earth but yours!"

And Jesus reminds us always..."I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35 NRSVCE

Who will you love today?



Photo Credit: Burst, StockSnap.io