Parking Spaces

I want to thank the Lord for a good week and for helping me to go to church to fellowship with His people.  I was able to get things done this week without much event.  He kept me safe as I traveled and kept my son and family safe as they went about their daily business.

Today I went to church on time and brought my son to Sabbath school.  He was okay on his way to the church but once inside and after being denied the right to play with a flashlight or bell that were within reach of him, he spiraled out of control and didn’t return to baseline.  Despite this, I was able to sit in on an older adult Sabbath school study (my son invited himself into their room so….) still in session and hear two different arguments.  One of which a sister said that individuals are sanctified and justified simultaneously and the other didn’t believe it happens at the same time for all people and said that repentance needs to occur first.  The one who brought this up brought up 1 Corinthians 6:11 which says, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

I am interested in seeing what she brings in next week as there will not be a children’s Sabbath school due to a Pathfinders event taking place at another church so I can sit in (or at least try to if my son behaves).  The way I see it, sanctification is a process especially if we end up sinning again, as so often we do.  We have to surrender our will to the Lord to allow Him to resanctify us, renew our hearts. He chooses to justify us; He gives us the grace that saves.

  

We can choose to set ourselves apart and the Lord also selects us as something special to Him (even when we don't see it or are not ready yet to recognize it).

To me it doesn’t matter much if sanctification and justification occur instantly/simulatenously or at different times.  What matters to me is that the Lord’s will is done in my life as He wishes and at His timing.  To sanctify is to make pure and to set aside for a holy purpose.  When you are justified by God, God makes you free from the penalty of sin.  I am interested in hearing more and hope to be able to go to church and hear this next week.

I was also blessed to be able to sit with Hope and hear that she had a good week and I’m glad for it.  She shared more about her children and prayed with me and I even had an opportunity to talk to two more young girls (this person who comes to church has many children and they are in the same school district as my son). 

Prior to coming to church, I was looking for items to get ready and I went into a soft box (I have boxes for my 5x5 Kallax shelving unit I use for storing clothing and random items) and I came upon the credit cards I couldn’t find the other week. I had searched those boxes including the one I went in and couldn’t find the cards.  Two of the cards I needed were in there.  The most important ones I needed back in the end of January but couldn’t locate, I requested the credit card companies send me replacements.  I am thankful that I didn’t have to call about the other two and end up having to pay a replacement fee.

There is something I should mention though, I forgot about it.  For some reason one day this week was all about waiting, not sure as to why.

I was scheduled to see one of my clients on Tuesday and I reminded the manager that I was coming.  I came out to their house and the person was not there.  I waited 39 minutes before calling the manager who said she was at another meeting and told me she’d call right back.  She never did call back.  I waited past an hour and called again but the manager allowed my call to go to voicemail.  I was actually parked in the area for about 2 hours because I didn’t want to waste my gas going else where and didn’t want to have a car accident and have trouble explaining why I was not where I said in my schedule I was to be.  I decided I was not going to allow this provider to do this to me again (like they’ve done in the past).  I decided I was going to go home and reschedule the meeting.   

I drove and got stuck in traffic.  Two car accidents shut everything down. I ended up driving over a median (following two other cars doing the same thing because it was slanted) and went into the empty left turn lane to go to Walmart because I had to use the bathroom.  I had been sitting outside that person’s house for hours and then was to be stuck in gridlock traffic, so no way!   

I went in Walmart and used the restroom and decided to purchase some plant food for my kitchen crops and a Pothos plant to hang some where.  I noticed the plant food was on clearance for $5.00 so of course I picked it up.  I get in line for the girl to tell me that my $12 was to be $21 something and even after I went and took a picture of the shelf item and showed her, she said she had to get a manager.  She didn’t tell me that she was leaving at 6pm and made a half hearted attempt to call the manager.  She was even going to hold up all the people behind me in line to wait for the manager that she knew would never come and knew she wouldn’t have to deal with me because she was leaving.  I asked her to cancel the transaction while I waited and allowed her to ring up the other people before she switched off with the next person.   

The next person didn’t do anything so I decided to take the plant, the plant food, and the photo of the shelf and head towards customer service.  I stopped at another register prior to getting to customer service and the lady said she couldn’t help me.  I head over to customer service and wait, and wait some more.  Finally a man set up the register and gave me some attention and even after I showed him the photo and the item, he said he couldn’t do anything.  I waited still for a manager to come and they finally decided to ring it up as $5.  The manager said that if it had been more of the same items she couldn’t allow me to do the $5.  That’s not my fault, they had three of the items (including the organic food blend I selected listed on the shelf as $5).  I left and sat in the grid lock traffic some more before talking to my mother on the phone sounding frantic and tired and wanting me to come get my son.  I then decided to drive about 30-32 miles out of my way  (away from the grid lock) to get my son and finally head home.

The blessing that night is that when I got home with my son late I expected to have to park a field away from my apartment door.  The parking space was very close to my apartment and that never happens. God is good.  Even Thursday when it snowed really bad that morning and I drove to the train station, I was able to park in the very first parking space in the lot.  That too never happens. 

I don’t know why Tuesday was the day I had to play the waiting game, but God still blessed me with parking spaces.  I don’t know the lesson I was to get out of it or if my son will ever stop his tantrums and poor behavior in public settings.  I do know that this was a good week and God is good.  My son is sleeping right now.  I might go take a nap too.

Happy Sabbath )