Sheesh! It has been forever since I have been on this thing. One would think that now that I am a stay-at-home mom again, I would have more time to blog, lunch, and you know.. sit around eating Bon-Bons and watching talk shows. Hmm.. not so much. With my change of employment, God has also called me to change my priorities. With that comes more responsibilities as far as my family goes, so I am quite the busy girl. Anyway, I wanted to share something that really blessed me recently.
With winter coming, I started pulling out all of my winter coats, boots, etc. I began to realize that I had boots that were just gathering dust. Within the 8-9 pair that I had, there were about 5 or 6 that I never wore last year, and couldn't really see wearing this year either. I thought about doing the "ebay thing" since most of these boots were name brand, and had been worn MAYBE twice. I figured I could get at least $30-40 each for the three pair of Ugg's since they sell for well over $100 brand new. I also thought about giving them to someone in my circle of friends. That's what I usually do with my clothes. Then, God got a hold of my heart. I couldn't get the word "missional" out of my mind. I had been feeling rather convicted lately about how we, as Christians who are called to show God's love to the world, most often, stay within our cozy little churches, or our comfortable groups of friends, and the only time we really ever "reach out" is when we're thousands of miles away on a "mission trip." What about our own communities? I started thinking about young women or girls that would LOVE to have a pair of these fashionable boots, but instead have to wear old thrift store boots that are out of style or maybe don't even have boots at all. While it was true that the cash I could make on ebay would be nice coming into the Christmas season, I couldn't shake the idea of how great it would be to bless someone with a practically brand new pair of Uggs.
So, I put all of the boots into a basket and drove down to an apartment complex that I used to manage in downtown Carson City. I pulled in, but didn't really see anybody, I stopped and prayed, "Lord, please direct me to someone who really needs these, and would not ever have something like this otherwise." I drove a bit, and turned onto a street that is known for being mostly hispanic, and low-income. There she was. A young woman, about 18, getting her mail. (wearing flip flops; ) I pulled in and asked what size shoe she wore. She smiled, looked at me like I was a little crazy, and told me she was a 7-71/2. That in itself is pretty cool since all of the boots were size 7. I told her that I had 5 or 6 pair of really nice boots and wondered if she could use them. She looked skeptical, but answered yes. I came around to the side of the car and pulled them out. We started to go through them together, and she was so cute as she picked them up, and told me how "adorable" a few of them were. I could tell that she knew how expensive they were when she saw them and said, "Are you sure?" I asked her if she would mind picking a pair or two for herself and then sharing the others with a few of her friends and family that might need them, and she was happy to oblige.
As I drove away, my heart was full. Giving old or used things to people is great, but to bless someone with something that both you and they consider extravagant, brings a feeling that I can't explain. I seriously think that it blessed me more than it did her. I didn't bring a bible. I didn't speak a scripture. (Give me a break, I'm new at this ; ) but I do think that in my own little way I showed her the love of Jesus through those sassy boots.
