Heaven Sent Sentiments

A birthday cake. Rocky Road ice cream. Red hot candies. These were a few of my mother’s favorite sweets, all lovingly put together by her three daughter’s hands. My mother loved rainbows–and their covenant meaning of God’s promises–so we drew several pictures and taped them to the walls in the dining room. Have you guessed my mom’s favorite color yet? Blue, is the very reason there is a light blue frosted cake on the table. Yum!   

A Polaroid (gasp!) picture of my mother’s thirty-first birthday. My sister prominently stands, smiling, next to our marvelously decorated table. Now, I know you  may be asking, “Where can I find the brown flowered cups, plates, and bowls beautifully placed on the brown flowered tablecloth?” It is early 80’s chic…and will probably be coming back in style next year. Just wait. Such is the circle of life…and trends.

Now, back to birthdays. Birthdays are significant to me. Share your birthday with me and a hug, high-five, or some type of card/gift will surely come your way. When someone whom you know dies young, birthdays are personified by like a thousand! “Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege.” Once I read that Irish proverb, I’ve always taken it to heart. It’s NOT because I am 23% Irish–as discovered by my ancestory.com results–it’s because it is true. What an awesome blessing LIFE is! Another day, another year to live the life God created us to have for His purpose.

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                Every once in a while I have had a birthday that was discouraging. The thirty-second year of my life started rainy and gloomy, very much like my feelings that day. Depressed and discouraged, I made my way to my bedroom closet, a place of refuge and prayer for me. Lying on floor, in a position of complete surrender, I cried out to Jesus in desperation. I missed my mother especially on this birthday, it was as though her absence was magnified a thousand times that day. I have no idea why. I asked God, in complete faith, for encouragement from her. What He did for me, that evening was nothing short of a miracle.

My dad came home from work that evening and handed me a birthday card. He said, “I don’t know how I ended up with this card, but here it is.” All pink and white it said, “WITH LOVE, Daughter, FROM MOM. (By the way, if you look really closely, you can see where my dad wrote in “& DAD.”) Can you believe that?!? God heard my prayer for encouragement from my mom and blessed me with a card “from” her in heaven! I write all of God’s answered prayers and blessings down, and I encourage you to, as well! Here is what I wrote, that day, on the inside of the card:

This card is very special to me. The Lord truly loves you and does use people/situations to encourage you. I was having a very sad, depressed day. It was my birthday and I was missing my mother so much. I was praying to the Lord and asking for encouragement, something from my mom to encourage me on my birthday. My dad came home with this card (not his first choice) and said, “I don’t know how I ended up with this card, but here it is.” It was not a mistake, the Lord used my dad in a way to edify me, he was the giver of hope that day by way of the Lord. I am so thankful for my dad and the Lord– He truly listens and hears His children.

Amen Praise the Lord!

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                I am now forty-six years old and I remember that birthday as though it were yesterday. It helps me to recall fondly my mom’s thirty-second birthday with rainbow drawings, a blue-frosted cake, and the reminder of God’s promises for us. Luke 11: 9-13 (NIV) says:

      ⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I encourage you, as I shared last week, to pray and seek God daily. Look through the eyes of faith and see what He will do. Commit the prayer to your heart and rest in the power of God. Be sensitive and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit; He may not only answer your prayers, but He may use YOU to be the answer to someone else’s!! 🙂 From the heart of Dr Maya Angelou: “Be the rainbow to someone else’s cloud.”

Inside view’s of the card:

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Angelou, Dr. Maya. “Be the rainbow to someone else’s cloud.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/30/maya-angelou-oprah-rainbow_n_5413544.html