The Look of Love

Maybe this has never happened to you.

Then again . . . maybe it has.

You're going about your day fully satisfied with all that God is doing. Everything isn't exactly rosy but there's enough upbeat happening to keep you feeling satisfied. You may even start to whistle or hum with joy.

Then it strikes. 

You see or hear or think of something that you enjoy; ice cream, new clothes, flavored coffee. You recognize the item is simply something you want, definitely not something you need. Yet somehow the passing fancy takes on a mind of its own. You slowly realize you've got your heart set on having it no matter what.

That's what happened to me in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport last week. 

We were making our way from one concourse to another to catch the second of three flights to return home. My eyes caught the headline of a copy of USA Today at a news stand. I was instantly in want.

It's not like I read the news or anything, but they have a great puzzle page that keeps my brain occupied for a while as we're flying. I have all kinds of arguments to keep myself from making spur-of-the-moment purchases and they all came to the forefront. By the time we got to the gate every defense had crumbled. I mentioned my craving to my Honey and he was ready to make the purchase, but it was time to board.

I'm not being dramatic when I tell you that I wanted that puzzle page so bad I could almost taste it. I got on the plane and took my seat with black and white squares sprinkled with word searches and sentence jumbles on my tongue. It was brutal. 

I pulled myself together and thanked the Lord we'd made the connection with such a short layover. I settled in and buckled my seatbelt. 

But Boy-O, it would have been nice to enjoy that USA Today puzzle page, I thought.

I'd already done the crossword puzzle, but I decided to look through the airline magazine. I reached into the seat pocket in front of me and my fingers touched something odd. I pulled out a square of folded paper.

Imagine my shock as I opened it up and realized it was THE puzzle page I'd been picturing in my mind's eye. It was from that day's edition of USA Today AND it was fresh and clean. 

NO KIDDING.

All I could do was sit and stare at the piece of newsprint in my hands. It was as if God had sent an angel to grab that page from somebody's USA Today and tuck it in there for me to find. With all the crazy and demanding things going on in my life, in spite of my major shortcomings and rebellious undercurrents, my Abba Father heard the cry of my heart and intervened to meet my longing.

Just a silly little thing that wouldn't mean much to anybody else.

Right there on an airplane.

With no fanfare.

He met me with the kind of love that binds me to Him over and over and over again.

I'm still overwhelmed as I write about it nearly a week later. 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:14-19

What intimate expression of love has God shown you? Please let me know.