Hands and house

Hands and house

Monday, April 19, 2010

Memorial Box Monday- God's Crazy Lavish Love!

Before you read this Memorial Box Monday post....please go Here (click on this) and read about this sweet miracle girl!!!!!!!!   This is just a little of what her mom has to say about Jiliang:

"It makes me realize that my little girl beats the odds as an infant. As a baby, she only had a 20% chance of surviving her heart defect. Add a skull defect, a burn, and we can go on and on. She is alive and thriving today, and happy in her new family. To me, she is a Miracle."



I have no doubt that Jiliang is a miracle and that God has His hand on her life. To read about her is to see the face of Christ. Jiliang's family was told last week that her heart condition would be inoperable...God had other plans! She will be having open heart surgery tomorrow to give her a chance at a long and full life.
Please head over to her site and pray for this amazing little girl and her family!!!!!

Update!!!! Jiliang made it through surgery. Recovery from open heart surgery is a really big deal, please still go Here (click on this) to find out how to pray and leave them a note of encouragement.


 
 
 
(Click on the Memorial Box picture on the right to read more awesome stories about God's faithfulness!)


This story happened just a few days ago and continues to make me smile. So Linny at A Place called Simplicity wrote a while back about an idea that she called Crazy Love. The idea is to say Yes! Right away when you see a need and to trust that God will fill and meet your own. You can read more about it Here.
       So last week, little Kiah crossed my path...

You can read more about how to help Kiah Here!

She needs heart surgery and I felt the Lord saying "give, give $___"

and honestly, everything in we said, "wait a minute...I don't have that"

Again, I heard, "Give $____ and use your words to help"

so....I clicked on the "Chip-In" button

and said, "Ok God...you'd better catch me"



I would love to say that this was easy and that I am this saint who joyfully went about my day...but I wrestled with God over it...a bunch. I thought through the things that I had planned to do. The things "I" wanted, that I had planned. Things to enrich my own life.

I had planned on, over the coming months, doing a bunch of 'pretty' planting in our flower gardens and up by the road by our house we need to plant a barrier of some sort (it is a big area)....but this would now wait until next year. One of those things that I had the hardest time letting go of (it seems really silly) was that I wanted to plant red tulips in between the bushes in front of our house. I love red tulips and had created this picture in my head of how sweet it would look to have them peeking out between our bushes.

As the day went on, the wrestling began to change. as God began to shed His light on my issue, I began to see things more clearly. Tulips...or a little girl's life? Beauty that would be gone in a month or a life to be fully lived. I began to realize how incredibly selfish I had been. How many times do I choose me, myself and I over God's plans? How many times does my comfort and joy blind my eyes and block my ears from God's bigger and better plan? At the end of my life, who is going to care about the state of my front bushes? I know that I won't!

As the day went on...I could hear the Lord more clearly whispering "consider the lilies in the field...I know your heart..." and  I could begin to whisper back, "Lord all that I want is Your heart..."


The little Lily in our fields!!!!!

Pretty soon it was Georgia's naptime and I laid done too...

When we got up, the sun was shining so we got ready to go outside...

When I opened my front door guess what I found???


and God didn't stop there...

When I went to take the compost out, for the first time ever the ground was COVERED in these (that I have always dreamed of lining our flower beds with)...




and tucked in by our Oak tree....



and sprouting between the dandelions????


These beauties

You see...the Lord KNEW!!!! He knows my heart, He knows that I love wildflowers more than any other. He who made the Universe cared enough to 'plant' beautiful wildflowers everywhere I looked. Now I get the joy of filling my flower beds with them and year after year watching them bloom as a promise from the Lord to take care of the desires of my heart!!!!!!

"Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4
 
So, that night as Doug & I were standing looking at the yard guess what he said....
 
"The neighbor just offered us all of his... to plant as a barrier by the road"
 
 
Chinese Bamboo for an area where it can just go crazy!!!!!

I can almost see the smile on our AWESOME...LAVISH...GIFT-GIVING...KNOWS THE DESIRES OF MY HEART God!!!!!!

In my Memorial Box??? Some beautiful dried tulip petals pretty soon :)

11 comments:

Cara said...

I love that God loves us so much that He so often provides for the "little" things too :)

TanyaLea said...

What an awesome, loving, gift-giving God we serve!! I know He was smiling down on you and taking delight in gifting you with the desires of your heart... all for your faithfulness and obedience. He has no limits to what He can and will do for us when we are obedient to the call and put our own desires aside for the sake of others. You are a great example to all of us, and I love your heart!

I will also be praying for that precious little girl you posted about today as she goes in for her surgery. What a little beauty!

God bless you, dear friend! <><

love,
Tanya

Renee said...

Shannon
Once again I feel humbled by your dedication to help the orphans and those in need....God has tugged at my heartstrings through your story here today. And what a testimony in how God blessed you right away!!! Amazing and glorious!
Love the photo of your little one walking naked with boots on. I have one of my son at that same age....he is 39 now!

Tara Anderson said...

Oh! I've got chills!!! Our God is so INCREIBLE...and so faithful to remind us what is TRULY important! I have no doubt you will be rewarded--even more than you already have!--for your obedience to Him!

Kristi O said...

Thank you for sharing and for giving. I had a simliar experience on a small scale this weekend, it was one of those times where I needed to listen and obey... In obeying we understand clearer the voice of God and the heart of the Father. Thank you so much for sharing. Lord, Bless this family, Lord thank you for the flowers and for your blessing. Lord thank you for speaking so clearly to your children. amen

1001tears said...

I love the gifts God gives us. Both big and small! He always amazes me!

www.1001tears.blogspot.com

LivingSimply, SimplyLiving said...

Oh my..your posts are always so touching. Today I decided I was going to read blogs but no comments as I wanted to spend xtra time with LeeLee before the craziness of our day begins. BUT, your post...I just needed to comment.
You are such an inspiration..and such a true model of a Christian...somewhere along the way I fell from my path..and reading your post ALWAYS makes me want to find my way again. byw..yesterday I went on new day's blog and I just cried my eyes out..it was so terribly sad...especially the memorial posts. Really made praying for these sweet orphans all I think about.
Annmarie

Gretchen said...

How beautiful!

Again, we have something in common. I love gardening because I too believe that the flowers and plants that God has given to us on this earth are just amazingly beautiful. I especially love your little lily in your field (smile).

Kat said...

OHHHH! I just wanted to cheer! That is so absolutely cool! God's garden...awesome!!!

Mom Of Many said...

That's awesome!! And the pictures are so gorgeous!! Thankyou for doing a post!!

from all of us with love said...

I just love your posts. I love the way you are sshowing an example to put others before yourself. I will keeping praying and checking.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails