Tag Archives: the little things

Jan19

365 Moments Of Gratitude: Thankful For The Heart Of A Child

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I am routinely thankful for the heart and innocence of children. I have three such beautiful kids. They amaze me on a very regular basis.

The heart and innocence of a child is something that just warms my heart.

As we were at the Air Force base, my son came running up to where I was standing, begging for a “Little Things” card. He told me that he wanted to use some of his very own money to help someone pay for their lunch there in the food court. So, I gave him a card I found, and he ran up and stopped a transaction in mid operation, and asked the elderly woman if he could pay for her food. Both she and the gentleman behind the counter were touched. It was a small amount, only a few dollars, but it had a priceless impact. It impacted all who saw it, but also impacted my son. The pure and innocent joy on his face was heartwarming. After he did that, he came back to where I was now sitting at the table and talked about the whole thing. He smiled and waved at the woman he had helped. She came up to our table and said that he didn’t have to do that, but that she wanted to say thank you very much. She asked if I was his mother. I told her I was, and she asked if she could give him a hug. It was cute – but she wouldn’t hug him without my permission. It was a beautiful sight to behold. God working on lots of hearts that meal.

That same evening, our family went out to eat. As we were eating with the kids, my youngest struck up a conversation (or attempted it) with the two year old at the table across the walkway from us. She and her dad were dining alone. For reasons still unknown to me, God put their family on my heart. As we were leaving, my oldest son (whispering in my ear) said that we should “little thing” them – that he thought they looked like they could use some happy. After walking away, I went and found a manager. I told him I’d like to take care of their meal, and also notified their server, as they were just attempting to pay. Before I could see a reaction, I decided to leave the situation anonymous. I found one more “little things” card, and asked the server to pass it along. I’m not sure what situation they were in, but it doesn’t matter. I followed after the heart of God and just shared love and a “little thing” with someone. I don’t know what it did for them, but I can tell you it brightened my day in a beautiful way.

What I love most about this, is that doing these intentional, though random act of kindness is making a really big impact on my family. I know the things we do touch the lives of those we reach out to, but seeing my children’s giving hearts, and seeing them follow after the heart of God with such passion is definitely a proud Mama moment.

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Jan13

365 Moments Of Gratitude: Thankful for God’s Provision

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More than any other time in my life, I am thankful to God for His provision. He is providing in and for every area of my life – my marriage, my health, my finances, my family, etc.

Today after church, our family went out to eat. My husband and I were discussing the church service. I was sharing with him about a family I know who has seen God’s provision in a big way. This family shared with me something very special. Through some pretty unsure times, God gave them a dream, and then provided for them to make it a reality. I told him (my husband) that I had the same level of faith, for a very similar situation in our lives.

It was almost as if God had a sense of humor mixed with teaching a lesson. He needed me to know that He indeed IS our provider. I had absolutely no idea that there were some friends of mine from church dining at the same place for lunch. It wasn’t until after the meal that they came over to speak. They asked how the food was, and if we’d paid yet. I gestured that my husband was up paying our bill at that very moment. They quickly ran up to the front desk where my husband was attempting to pay, and asked the cashier if she could cancel it (the credit card had already been swiped) and told her to add our entire bill to his. It was the sweetest and kindest gesture. My husband does not know this sweet family (yet) but was absolutely floored. They told my husband that it was a “little thing” and that they just wanted to bless us. To tell you that it blessed us would be an understatement. God used this situation to be so much more than a “random act of kindness” — it was more like an “intentional act of kindness, grown to a huge blessing all the way around” sort of thing.

Not only did God provide (through some very precious friends) for our meal, the “little things” situation also provided me with the opportunity to talk to my husband about God’s faithfulness and some of my heart on what had just happened. I was able to plant seeds, in and with faith, with my husband. It helped him see God’s love through a selfless act of friends.

So, to the faithful family who took care of my family’s lunch today – know that what may have been a little thing to you was much more to us. God used your kindness in multiple ways. Thank you for your giving heart. From my family to yours, we love you!