And it just keeps getting better!

Although I know God CAN do everything, I still don't think to "bother Him" with dumb little incidental things. I figure He's busy enough with all the really important stuff of the universe, so why bring up stuff that won't matter 5 years from now? But you know what? God comes through anyway, on stuff I wouldn't dream of or sometimes wouldn't DARE to ask for! Here's an example:

My kids have a running joke about my parking spaces at Wal-Mart. They're the busiest parking lot in any town we go to, and finding a space within a mile of the store can be a challenge. I would never ask God for a close parking space at Wal-Mart, it's an insignificant thing. Yet, no matter what day of the week or what time of day we go, I always manage to find a parking space in the first 3 spaces in one of the closest 2 or 3 rows near the door. I don't ask, it just happens. Even if there's no space available, as I'm approaching those spaces fully intending to drive by, one of the front 3 cars will back out and leave! It always amazes my kids, but I'm careful never to take credit for any of it.

So what did God do this time that was so incredible? Well, it's about our new house that we'll be renting in a few weeks. The agreement with my friend was that we would move into her rental at a more than fair price (almost cut in half what it could've been), and we would take it "as is" without expecting them to do anything to it except fix anything that was found to be actually broken.

Here's a quick bullet point of how it went:
- The previous owner is from the islands, that explains the flourescent blue on the walls, ceilings, and more - and the lime green walls too!
- The master bath is ugly, is that black mold or just dirt? Maybe I can bleach it.
- The rugs were ripped out and there's glue "squiggles" on the cement floors, but I love cement floors, it'll keep the house cooler in summer, so it's okay, we can sand the squiggles off.
- The boys room looks like a carnival tent! It's so dark red & dark blue that it looks like a black room in the middle of a sunny day. What's with the yellow stars painted on the floor? It looks like a baby nursery but it's an older teen guy room?

(These were just fleeting thoughts, but I agreed to "as is", so I didn't ask for anything except maybe a professional cleaning of the master bath. I was just so thankful to have found a place we could afford, love the neighborhood, and it's the last house on a cul-de-sac! I'll take it, and we'll worry about painting later!) I left feeling happy, excited about the move, and so thankful for such a wonderful friend to allow us such a great deal.

So I wasn't asking for anything. "As is" means without complaining, right? I've been telling everyone how good God is to take care of us so well by finding us this house so unexpectedly. I won't bother Him with asking for more, or improvements. I'll be content with what He's provided.

Then God proved His word to be true once again - He knows how to give good gifts and knows our needs before we even ask. Here's what God did for us:

- I get a call from my friend who owns the house, she says they're totally remodeling the master bath before we move in. As for paint, we'll think about the "carnival" room.

- A week later I find out they're redoing the whole house before we move in! New flooring throughout, new tile, new paint in all the rooms, a whole new kitchen with a new island! Updates in the 2nd bathroom, the works! I never could've imagined we'd receive such a wonderful surprise, that our new home would be SO PERFECT! God's blessings are so far beyond anything I could even dream of or hope for!

He is such a wonderful, loving Father. And we recognize it's only by His hand that all this has been possible, we appreciate it, and humbly give ourselves to Him to use any way He sees fit - to have us serve those He brings to our attention, for His glory. It's not confining to follow Christ - It's total freedom and joy!