Aloha Ladies. Welcome back!
Today, I want to talk about journeys and discoveries. They go hand-in-hand- if there is no journey, there can be no discovery, and if there is no discovery, there can be no journey. When we are marching along on a journey, discovery will be activated. How can it not be? A journey to a new place or experience means new discoveries. When we explore, we draw closer to Christ as we are designed to evolve- to change- to grow- to discover new things about ourselves, our surroundings, and others. Thus, a journey is a very good thing.
This topic is fresh on my mind because I just returned from spending the week in Nashville, Tennessee. My first time visiting the Music City. We went for a family reunion and spent time catching up with family and exploring the area. We took in the sights, sounds, and food (like donuts and hot chicken) and learned about what makes Nashville unique. Did you know Nashville has the only full-size replica in the world of the Parthenon from Greece, earning Nashville the nickname “Athens of the South?” Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d find an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena in the United States!
Needless to say, on our journey, we made many discoveries in Nashville, but the one that stands out the most involves a lost earring, and it happened on day one!
We had just arrived after a long 14+ hour flight, settled in our Airbnb, and returned from the grocery store. As we were putting away the groceries, to my horror, I realized that one of my diamond earrings (yes, earrings that my husband gave me on our 25th wedding anniversary) was missing! The back was still on my ear, but not the diamond! Instantly, my heart sank, and I felt nauseous. My husband was going to kill me! These earrings are priceless; I've worn them almost every day for the last eight years. I have never misplaced them- not once! Yet here we are in a strange place, tired to the bone, and now having to embark on a new journey to find my lost earring!
If this had happened to me even five years ago, I would have been in an absolute panic and condemned myself for being careless, reckless, and irresponsible. But this time, I stayed calm and took on the attitude that if I’m meant to find it- I will. So, the search begins. I retraced my steps to search every place where the earring might have fallen- we searched all over the Airbnb, the yard, the driveway, the walkway, the rental car, and eventually, we returned to the grocery store.
We called the store to report my lost earring, hoping it might have been turned into lost-n-found. When we arrived at the store, I was disappointed it hadn't been found, so I retraced my steps and walked over to the entire store again- NOTHING.
When I made my way to the front of the store, multiple grocery store workers surrounded me, offering apologies, condolences, and assurances that they would return it if found. Their concern and genuine aloha touched me. Yet, one of the workers stood out from all the rest. A young black man named Jamarius. He went above and beyond emptying a large garbage can that had housed all the sweepings from the store and had meticulously gone through it all in search of my lost earring. It was so sweet, and his sincerity in not being able to find it was so genuine that I immediately felt this connection and favor towards him that without even thinking, I asked if I could hug him! He seemed stunned and a little uncomfortable as his boss stood next to him, but he agreed. Then, one of my traveling companions asked if we could pray over him, and he eagerly agreed. Prayers were lifted on his behalf, and he began to weep. I embraced him again and told him that he was a valiant man of God and that Jesus loved him immensely. I thanked him again for his efforts, and as we left the store, he said he would continue searching for my earring and promised to let me know if it was found! Before leaving the store, I told the store manager that I just hoped that if the earring was found, it would be by someone who really needed it!
It was strange because after leaving the store, I had peace. I resolved that if the Lord wanted to return the earring to me, He would, and I believe my daughter or grandchildren would find it. If not, my hope was that someone who needed it would find it instead.
What's crazy is the very next morning, as I was sitting on my bed talking to my aunt on the phone, I recounted the story of my lost earring. My daughter enters the room and looks out the window into the front yard. Suddenly, she quickly leaves the room, goes outside, and then rushes back into the house, joyfully exclaiming that she found the earring right when I told my aunt that I believed my daughter or grandchildren would find it!
No coincidences!
The earring was in the middle of the sidewalk leading to the front door, and we had searched that spot multiple times by multiple people! It didn't make any sense – it was almost like it had been replaced there at night!
Thinking back, I realized I had just experienced "living in the fog."
Let me explain what I mean…. a week before this trip, my aunt sent my husband a book titled “Ignite Your Life” by Barry Meguair, and she encouraged him to read it, saying she believed that we are “living in the fog.” Now, she sent him the book, but I was so intrigued by this fog reference that I picked it up and just read Chapter 17, which deals with this concept, and what I learned was fascinating. The author shares his experiences and explains that “fog” stands for “favor of God.” When you are living in the favor of God -nothing is a coincidence, and you should expect to see His handiwork in everything- even when “things go wrong," that's when God "nudges" us.
The favor of God begins when Jesus is the Lord of your life. He's not just your savior who gives you the golden ticket to heaven- no, Jesus is your center. Your life starts reflecting your love for Him. You are willing to do life with him and serve him just because you love him. You have a relationship with the creator of the universe who knows us and loves us like no other. King David tells us in Psalm 139:17-18: "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
God knows us so well that even when we don't deserve it, he calls us his friend! That's so amazing to me! In John 15:15-17 the Lord says: "I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father. You didn't choose me, remember, I chose you and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that will last- and so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you. This is my command: love each other."
In this journey, I discovered that God used a lost earring that was priceless to me to nudge me into returning to that grocery store so that He could use our group to show the love of Christ to that young man, Jamarius. We don't know what he may have been struggling with- for all we know, he could have been contemplating suicide. Yet, while listening to God's nudge, we spoke love. God loved Jamarius so much that he sent a group of people who had just arrived from Hawaii to love him. To pray for him, embrace him, and speak words of life and encouragement.
That, ladies, was far more precious than my diamond earring! And I believe in our obedience in answering the nudge; God gave me back my earring.
That's what living in the fog is all about—seeing God alive and active in our lives in the smallest of ways.
Yet, it is in the small that the most profound takes place.
Oh, I pray that Jesus is your Lord and that you, too, are living in the fog. So that the next time something goes wrong, you stop and ask your best friend to intervene and see just how He will answer and nudge you into something amazing.
Because I'm here to tell you the opportunities God gives us to come alongside Him on this journey of life and to be able to share His great love with others- is truly the most PRICELESS discovery you will ever experience!
