My 4 year year old son brought home a helium balloon from church Sunday afternoon. It was raining outside. The balloon was around my son's wrist until the van door opened, and then it slipped off and blew away.
Disappointment. Major disappointment.
A simple helium balloon carries such importance to a young child. Especially my children.
His father knew how upset he was and was probably just as upset himself. He tried to track it down.
In. The. Pouring. Rain.
The balloon got stuck in the gutter two houses down. My son was crying. I was trying to calm him down and downplay the importance of that simple balloon. My husband was determined to get the balloon back. He suggested getting the ladder out and picking it out of the neighbor's gutter.
In. The. Pouring. Rain.
I was mortified and irritated that there was so much commotion about a silly balloon. I told him No and proceeded to calm my son and husband down.
Three hours later, we left to run some errands. The sun was shining, the storm had passed.
As we drove down the street, we passed the house with the balloon. It was no longer stuck in the gutter. It was, however, floating above the rock bed along the driveway. The balloon was still full of helium, just hanging out among the rocks.
I'm sure you know what happened next ... My husband stopped the car and ran to get the balloon. There was much jubilation in the car.
I kind of rolled my eyes but had to admit that I was a little in awe that we had recovered the balloon - three hours later, fully intact.
It was then that I found out that while the fiasco was taking place earlier that afternoon, my oldest daughter was watching the balloon float away and prayed it would come down. She knew how upset her brother was. She knew how frustrated her dad was. So she prayed. And God answered her prayer.
I was really in awe at that point. I was so quick to dismiss this irritating hiccup to my day. It's just a balloon, I thought. Besides, it's hopeless. (Have you ever seen how fast those balloons float to the heavens?) Who cares? But my son did and my daughter was compassionate enough to realize that. Her simple step of faith, taught me so much that day.
God loves us and cares about the seemingly unimportant details of our lives. If we give our concerns to Him, He will listen. When things look hopeless, give it to God. He can do the unthinkable.
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A few days later, due to some extenuating circumstances, I was incredibly late picking up my girls from school. And just as school was letting out, a monsoon blew in. I was carrying 4 little boys to the car one by one, while the wind whipped, the rain dropped by the bucketful, and hail pelted my back.
I was drenched.
School had already let out so I knew my girls were standing outside waiting for me in this weather.
As I drove as fast as I was able, which wasn't very fast, I prayed that God would watch over my daughters.
I didn't know what else to do. I felt helpless. I knew the girls didn't have umbrellas with them and if I calculated correctly, I would be 15-20 mins late (unthinkable on a beautiful day).
As I drove up, I saw the saddest, sweetest sight. My girls were the only 2 kids left at school and there they were, huddled together under an umbrella.
When they got in the car, I asked them where they had gotten the umbrella. They said they had gone to stand in the office for a little bit and then came back out to look for me. As they stood there, they noticed the umbrella laying there "like someone had put it there for them to use" as my daughter said.
I know exactly Who had put it there. God was providing for my children when I couldn't.
These things are not just coincidences ... They are evidence of God's hand in our lives and He deserves all of the glory!
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7 NLT
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