Our Christmas Miracle

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

-Mark 11:22-26

   My new roomate Carrie and I had a Christmas miracle.  Lifetime's already asking us for the movie rights.  When I got back to Bristol after Thanksgiving (and a month away) I was broke as a joke.  I honestly prayed, "Lord, please help me find some food because I don't know if I can afford anything when I get back."  Now yes, I have made some great friends in Bristol who would feed me.  I had people take me out and have me over once I got back, but there's still two more meals in a day.  I didn't even have coffee, and that can kill me.  Literally.  I figured I'd start waitressing, but it would be a couple days until I was payed from that.
   Well I walked into our new great big house that first night and figured I'd be the only one there for a month.  Sarah and Rachel are home until January, and I barely knew Carrie.  There was no food in the fridge, and she didn't answer my calls/texts.  She started her own video production company.  I thought she must be out of the country filming.  We currently have no TV or internet at the house.  I was anticipating a miserable December.  
   Back up a year.  Carrie Cannaday begins looking for the perfect desk for her new office building.  She searches far and wide.  Many months of searching go by.  One day, someone gives her an ugly brown desk for free.  She decides since it's free and has the keyboard pad, drawers she was looking for, she'll take it.  Her search got her nowhere anyway.  She calls the company that made the desk.  An eight inch piece of wood was missing from a window pane on the front.  Instead of sending her that piece, they sent an entire new front panel of the desk.  The day Carrie decided she might actually like the desk if someone painted it white/black and put some kind of painting in the panes is the same day Carrie found out I was a painter.
   The night I got back Carrie finally walked in the door.  I learned she practically lives at her office.  She didn't know I'd be back either and was so glad I could start painting the desk right away.  Her office building is so cozy and everyone is so friendly.  Every day someone made lunch for us all.  I even got to drink coffees from a fancy Keurig!  Then, because the company had sent her a whole new front panel, I could paint the mural on a table.  Working at the daycare destroyed my back.  It would have been miserable if I had to paint the desk assembled.  Quoting Carrie, "LOOK at the Lord!"
   God gave me a job I desperately needed, and the amount Carrie thanks me for this desk is almost annoying.  He gave me a friend too!  I have LOVED  hanging out with Carrie and all her friends!!!  Much like a Lifetime movie, you may have found this post a little insipid, however I hope it still gives you a warm fuzzy feeling to know God cares for us.  I mean, He even was watching out for my back!  Carrie has a ton of cool stories of God answering little prayers.  I know these always get ridiculously long, but I have to share one.  

   I asked Carrie why she has a photo of a blue butterfly on her desk.  She said she went up to the mountains one day to spend some time with God/hang out.  A blue butterfly landed next to her.  She thought it was pretty and tried to take a photograph of it, but every time she did, the butterfly flew away.  She asked God for help.  For TWO hours she tried this off and on until she was SO frustrated she finally gave up.  She told God, "I'm really upset right now Lord.  I don't understand why You won't make this butterfly be still for THREE seconds.  It was a pure and simple request.  I only wanted a picture of YOUR creation that I was admiring."  While she told the story I got upset myself.  Seriously, what is God's deal with that?!  Her taking a photograph of a butterfly wasn't going to affect anything.  It really was just a sweet little prayer.  She went there to spend time with HIM anyways.  BUT THEN as Carrie stormed off to her car to leave, she saw about TWENTY butterflies of all different colors fluttering across the road!  It was beautiful, and she was easily able to capture photos of them.  God really does have a better design and plan than we could ever come up with.  We need to remember that even when we can't see a reason for things, God can.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

   neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD. 

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

   so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."   

-Isaiah 55:8-9

P.S.  Carrie and I are 88% sure we're cousins.  My grandfather grew up within a one-mile radius of where her family has been for generations.