The day after I launched Grace & Mimi, a former co-worker and friend reached out to me to share a God Moment that she’d recently experienced. Unbeknownst to her, it also led to a God moment of my own…..
It had been an amazing few months. Ashley had recently given her life to Christ in a way that she had never done before. She had started an exciting new job, and she had taken the initiative to love her abusive father from a distance. In every way, it seemed as though her life was finally headed in the right direction. She was full of hope not only for herself, but for her four growing children as well. Everything was going great, until one weekday morning when it all came crashing down.
Ashley received word that her recently estranged father had suffered a heart attack. The news hit her like a ton of bricks. A wave of shame washed over her. What would she do now? How would she handle this? How SHOULD she handle this? Should she run to his side, or allow him to work through it on his own? Why would God allow this to happen when she had made such strides to move forward without him? To make matters worse, Ashley was at her new job, and she needed to keep her composure, and get through the day. She’d have to find a way to work through the midst of her grief. On the positive side, her job that day led her to a project offsite, so she would have some time to herself while traveling to the job-site. As she drove along and fought through the waves of tears, a hawk swooped down right in front of her car, and a few minutes later, another one swooped down as well. On her way home that night, she saw yet another hawk resting on a power line, and yet another flying above the road. It all seemed so strange, she had never seen this many hawks in one day, and she had certainly never had them swoop down in front of her car before. It all just seemed all too coincidental, so when she returned home, she decided to google “what do hawks symbolize” and her search revealed the following result:
In Ashley’s own words, “her Faith will no longer be shaken.” This small reminder that God is always present gave Ashley the courage to handle the situation with her earthly father, and to feel confident in her bright future with her heavenly Father.
The day after Ashley shared her story with me, I took a walk through our local park. As I walked, I reflected on Ashley’s story, and how grateful I was that God had placed the idea for Grace & Mimi on my heart. Without his plan, and without Grace & Mimi, I would’ve likely never heard her story, or had the opportunity to reconnect with Ashley. As I walked, I looked upward, thanking God for this wonderful gift, and what did I see? You guessed it! Hawks!
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9
