My God is Over the Top

Just today a friend told me a fun story, about how she was getting her eight-month-pregnant self out the car and trying to extricate her sleeping toddler from the backseat when a huge bee came buzzing dangerously near them.  As she bent down to get her daughter she prayed, “Please Lord just let that bee just go the other direction!”  As she hefted her daughter out of her carseat and straightened, she looked on the roof of the car. The bee was creeping toward them, stopped, and fell over dead.  What?!  Later she walked back out and sure enough the bee was still dead on the roof of the car.  It seemed that God went a little over the top with His answer to her prayer, perhaps just as a little way, in the midst of some hard times they are going through, to remind her of His extravagent love and watchful care.

Sometimes right now I feel like God is going over the top with us.  I just went back and re-read my posts from this time last week and it appears that this time a year ago was a particularly difficult time.  In fact, in one post I was trying to write out the “good things” that I saw during that difficult season and ended up writing this:

The truth is that I just can’t see it yet.  I’m still too far in the midst of the circumstance to even see it right.  The fact is right now as I sit there trying to think, I can think of ten bad things for every good thing.  It’s been SO hard on our marriage.  We have less money and more debt than ever before.  I feel discouraged and depressed almost all the time, like it takes a supernatural measure of courage to do everday things.  We have no close friends nearby.  We’ve invested a year in a place where it now seems likely we won’t be long term.  We have nowhere to live. We have no job.  There are a million three-generation-household-living dynamics that are driving me insane (and I know we drive my parents crazy!).  And the worst is that this was my choice, and I should be thankful, I know that, but I’m not. I’m miserable, and every time I think of one thing to be thankful for, there are five things that bombard my mind that are depressing. So, sorry to get so real and raw with you, but what this has taught me is that I don’t think I’m going to see this one very clearly until later. Time will have to tell what those “good things” are.

It is later now.  Even as I read that I shake my head with my eyes full of tears because that was exactly right, time would tell what good things God was working.  He strengthened us, refined us, deepened us.  That same week we visited WCC for the first time.  Little did we know…

And now, a year later, I feel like God is having this fun game, going over the top in showing me how much He loves to bless us.  These are perhaps “small things”–but every single little kiss takes me back to a year ago and reminds me that all along, God had sweet, rich blessings in store.

For one, I cannot put it any other way but that our new home is BEAUTIFUL. I had no idea.  When they told us about it, it was hard to picture, and we knew we were getting the “budget” version of it and so didn’t have high expectations.  Oh I was so wrong.  We got to sneak through the other day and it is 100 times more beautiful that I’d ever imagined.  Little ridiculous things like the garage doors are my favorite style. Who cares about garage doors?! I guess I do, and perhaps God does because His ridiculous daughter does. 🙂

Secondly, because of a dispute with the CC&R’s (long story–our house is technically not up to the CC&R code because it’s smaller than the rest of the houses in the neighborhoo), our builder, DR Horton, has to upgrade the exterior of our house to the highest level of stonework at no cost to us.  That’s an upgrade that’s worth thousands.  Plus, there’s a good chance that they will also (because of this same dispute) be leaving the lot that is next to ours (a corner) vacant so that the subdivision isn’t overcrowded.  Um, greenspace next to us instead of another house? Yes please!!  And we had no idea. In fact I find it funny because all along we felt like this was THE lot we were supposed to buy. Even though the houseplan wasn’t exactly my favorite we felt like the lot was what we were supposed to have. Now of course I think the house is gorgeous, and I’m shaking my head at God’s over-the-top-ness.

Third, a week before our Corvallis house sold I found out that a professional home-stager (stages high-end luxury homes for sale) was going out of business and allowing the church to buy her high-end decor items at ridiculous deals on July 26th.  At the time I was committed to not getting anything for the house because our house hadn’t sold and we were still firm that we wouldn’t go forward with the new house unless our Corvallis house sold.  Well, as you know–it did, just a week before.  In fact, two days after our house sold Jeff preached at church and she was so touched by the sermon that she met with him afterwards.   While they talked she found out about our house story and so allowed me to go beforehand, all by myself, and shop her 4,500 square foot warehouse and get incredible deals on rugs, towels, decor, candles, even a model ship for Dutch’s room, all for a song.  As I walked through her warehouse, filled with beautiful home items, all by myself, my eyes filled with tears.  My heavenly Father was throwing me a shower. He was lavishly pouring out his love on me, giving me a private shopping party for the house He had provided.  I never in a million years could have forseen any of that.  And yet He did. He knew all along how He would go over the top to show me His love.

Then yesterday we found out that the inspection is done on our Corvallis house and they want nothing repaired.  What?!  Again, that is amazing.  That means we can basically walk away, close September first, and be done.  Jeff and I were just shaking our heads in amazement. Really, God?  Then also yesterday, as I was being my ridiculous coupon-clipper self and buying cheap toilet paper at Target, I found these storage baskets that were exactly what I was looking for.  I’ve been searching high and low for some pretty square storage baskets, with lids, so that we can keep the kids toys contained in the living room without it looking like we live in toys-r-us.  Well Target had these two beautiful, perfect-sized baskets on clearance marked down from $60 each down to $30 each.  I didn’t feel comfortable buying them without talking to Jeff so I went home.  But today Jeff said, “Go get them! That’s perfect and it’s a great deal!”  I still hestitated. I know, I’m ridiculous, but it’s hard for me to spend money on new stuff like that.  So this morning I prayed and asked God if He wanted me to spend His money on them.  And I felt like I should go, but as I drove away I told God, “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, I’m just doing my best, so please show me if this is how you want me to spend your money.”  I decided to first check at Goodwill to see if there was a better deal.  Nothing there, so I went on to Target, found two baskets the perfect shade and went to check out.  To my amazement when she rang them up they were 1/2 off even THAT price, so they were only $15 each!  I shook my head and laughed to myself as I gave her my card.  Even baskets, God? You even care about baskets?  I don’t know that God cares about baskets, but apparently He cares about me. 🙂

This is the God we serve.  I deserve none of this, and I know there will be (and are right now in other areas) difficult things that arise.  There will be seasons of joy and seasons of sorrow.  But for right now, I just have to tell of how my God is extravagant.   He showed us on the cross, and He’s showing me through seemingly insignificant things like baskets and garage doors.   My God is over the top.  He’s crazy in love with us.  Let’s give this extravagant God the best of our love in return.