the little girl who is fatherless, who was being raised by her grandmother( who is dead now) because her mom is unable to take care of her..now left to be raised by her young uncle, who has no idea what he is doing, but really trying to do the best he can..she looks me in the eyes everyday when I pick her and Kai up from school and she smiles and says "Mrs. Nicole, I really like coming home with you and Kaiya". I also think about the prostitute that knocks on my door asking my husband to fix her a sandwich because she has no money to eat..or the family that my husband encouraged to go away for a weekend to a christian retreat, and to see them RUN in my door this afternoon faces swollen due to tears of JOY over the LORD revealing himself to them. ( i wish you could see the goose bumps on my arms)
In the chorus of this song Ronnie sings :" Who knows how He'll get ahold of us? Get our attention to prove he is enough. He'll do and He'll use whatever He wants to ,To tell I love you."
I so believe that living here on Westcott. When I look around and think about the many things I struggle with living here from day to day( selfishness of possessions,weariness of being hospitable, overwhelmed over the amount of fatherless kids, ect..) ...I see them now as tools. The LORD using whatever, even a calling to the hood to show us HE IS ENOUGH and to show us how much HE LOVES US and those around us. That is God speaking!! He continues to gracious speak to us through our most difficult, challenging or fun times EVERYDAY! He promises to hear all that we have to say and speak back to us in whatever way HE deems as PERFECT to us individually! I am so overwhelmed that I can hear him clearly!
If you listen closely you will hear him speaking to you. :)
Psalm 39:12
"Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were."
Psalm 40:1
"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."
Psalm 99:8
"O LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God....."