One of my favorite bloggers, Layla, from The Lettered Cottage has a term for unexpected little blessings: God winks. Now I don’t know if she coined it or it’s a common term, but it struck a chord with me.
It’s those moments when you least expect something that would bless you and there it is. Like God winks and says “Just loving on you, sweety.”
One of my favorite God winks was during our move to Panama back in 1991. Before our move, we lived a 30 minute drive from our church. We were quite active in the choir and would drive back and forth several times a week. On top of that, my husband was often gone because of military duty. I would drive a 4 year old and a baby several times a week by myself, sometimes late at night with all the accouterment of young children.
When we moved to Panama, we initially were in temporary housing at the far end of the Air Force base. We were assigned a house in the same neighborhood, but it wouldn’t be ready for four weeks. It was pretty far from all the other base amenities. I sent up a quick prayer that if it didn’t matter to God, could we live close to the chapel and since it wasn’t a desperate plea or anything, I forgot about it.
A few days later, my husband called me to say that the original house would take longer than expected and if we were willing to move within just a few days, we could move to the older housing at the center of the base.
Guess where it was located! Right across the street from the chapel! And, in front of the chapel was the Parade Ground. There was a beautiful view from my front window and the house was within walking distance of most base amenities. And the older housing was bigger and sturdier too. Above is a picture of my children standing in our driveway. The house was built on pillars and looked similar to the one in the background. (Yes, I made those Halloween costumes)
Another God wink occurred when I wanted a navy blue blazer, but couldn’t really afford one. I was browsing through Von Mauer one day just “window shopping”, and came across a Pendelton navy blazer marked at $9. Surely that was a mistake since it was originally $200. Maybe they meant $90. I went to the counter and asked if it was an error. The sales lady said “No, a button fell off and it was in the back for three weeks and I just sewed it back on this morning. We don’t carry that anymore so it’s really $9.” I just knew God had saved that blazer for me.
So, my most recent God wink was on a trip through Pier One. I have been wanting heavy blue glasses for my dining table. I kept finding green and purple, and when I did find blue, well, not in the budget.
We were killing time before we went to a movie and there in the very back of the store were blue hobnail goblets on sale for a ridiculous $1.98 each. Ahhhh!
Now don’t get me wrong. God winks aren’t neccessarily things. They can also be phone calls or letters, just the right song on the radio, an unexpected compliment when you thought no one noticed. The one thing they have in common is that you feel God saying, “Even in the middle of the struggles, I remember you. I know what makes you happy. I love you.”
Have you had any God winks in your life lately? I’d love to read about them in the Comments.
Blessings,
Celeste