I Met God in Sanborn

Going through some trials...

perhaps you will find some encouragement here as I am reminded this morning that:

I MET GOD IN SANBORN PARK,

twenty-five years ago, yet it seems like yesterday. The encounter was undeniable and unforgettable...

Though it sounds like a cliché, our cupboard was bare. One Sunday evening, I walked across our DIY hand-painted black and white checkered floor and swung open the pantry door to find no snacks to place in the boys’ lunches.

I shook my head from side to side, then rounded them up for a walk. The market was less than a mile away, and I knew the fresh air would clear my head.

My boys, grade school-aged at the time, thought it would be great fun. They laced up their rollerblades and raced down the sidewalk. It was a beautiful autumn evening. I walked alone briskly, still shaking my head, amazed at how quickly things had turned for the worse.

Working in sales trained me to draw on the positives, so I attempted to muster hope. My wallet had enough money to buy the eggs needed for the single box of cupcake mix remaining in the pantry. But the positive self-talk wasn’t much affecting my mood. I kept walking.

The sunshine faded, and the street lamps began to glow. I could hear the all-too-familiar negative self-talk as it sounded like a drum in my mind. I began to obsess about our state of lack. A poverty mindset was creeping in; I could feel it through my body. I was dumbfounded.

Due to the severity of our financial pressures, in an attempt to make ends meet, I had already used my diamond ring as collateral on a loan from a friend. Ironically, it was the same diamond ring I had almost deposited into the offering plate the night I responded to the altar call years earlier. The loan was obviously only a Band-Aid.

The money had already been spent.

An onlooker wouldn’t have been able to see the struggles we faced. We lived in a nice home just across the street from a beautiful park and fishing pond; we had nice cars; both of us worked; we attended all the kids’ sporting events and school functions. Few knew of the dysfunction destroying our family behind closed doors. Isolation had set in, and I had unknowingly embraced it.

The fluorescent lights of the grocery store awakened me to my surroundings. The trip inside lasted only a moment; I only purchased eggs. I walked around the back of the shopping center to capture the light coming from the full moon and reflecting brightly on the lake's surface. I stopped for a moment and smiled. I’d suddenly found joy as I watched my children rollerblade down the walkway. I was thankful for them. I remember looking up at that seemingly oversized moon with awe.

A simple yet foreign declaration bubbled up from within me and came forth: I now accept abundance in my life.

A few moments later, three teenagers approached out of the shadows. They were wearing t-shirts bearing the name of our church. The first one carried a large plastic trash bag. My boys rolled up to see what was going on. We seemed to be in a slow-motion movie scene again as the first boy said, “We’re doing random acts of kindness this evening. Would you care for some snacks?”

Boom!

Instantly, the presence of God hit me, and I began to weep. The boys were part of the youth group. I told them what my mission had been that evening. They cried, too. They shared that they hadn’t been received very well and offered us the large trash bag filled with chips, cupcakes, cookies, and more.

Of course, we accepted the generous gift, hugged the boys, and I practically ran back home. We left that park with enough snacks to last two whole weeks! I was thrilled about how the Father had orchestrated that evening. I became determined in my heart to find out more about Him.

This was a divine appointment orchestrated by Holy Spirit.

The encounter with my grandfather (another story) and the night in the park was just the beginning, a small taste of what would come. I wasn’t familiar enough with God’s Word yet to relate the events to scripture, yet He provided an abundance of the Spirit —and snacks, too!

Needless to say our life took a big turn after that day! Transformation and many changes took place. But those are all stories for another time!

A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow. (John 10:10 TPT)