Not a Coincidence!

“Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above.”

James 1:17

I have to share a story of PRAISE with you.

I have been wanting a laptop (in particular, an Hp) for over a year now. And I have wanted it even more since I have been blogging the past few months.

I have a computer in my upstairs office that is extremely slow and so old that I cannot even use my new camera software on it or charge an ipod on it. We do most of our “living” downstairs, but I don’t really have a good place to put my computer. It’s hard to watch the kids (downstairs) and be on the computer (upstairs) at the same time. I also don’t like the boys doing homework or playing on the computer if I am not upstairs to supervise. Thus, the dilema…I NEED, I mean, I WANT a laptop!

So I have been asking my hubby for one for quite some time, but we have never had the extra funds for it. It was a want, not a necessity.

Well, on Sunday, my hubby told me we had some extra money from a bonus he got at work, and said that we had $350.00 that we could use for a laptop, IF I could find one for that amount. Yippee! Of course I can find one, I thought…

So I skipped off to Best Buy with a smile on my face, looked at laptops for a bit, stood in shock at the prices of these small little machines, and then sadly went back home with the realization that $350.00 wasn’t that much after all.

I searched the internet that night for deals on laptops, and even looked on ebay…but the prices were way too high. Then I looked on Craigslist in our area, and the first post read “Hp laptop for $350.00”! I couldn’t believe it!

The info and the picture looked great, so I emailed him. He said it was still for sale. I had him contact my husband since dealing with people on Craigslist makes me a little nervous. And they met at Starbucks the next day, Monday.

I was still thinking this was too good to be true, and we were going to get scammed somehow. But that wasn’t the case at all.

Here’s the cool part…

The guy was selling it for his girlfriend and they were both students at a small bible college. I think he is going into music ministry. The computer was only 3 months old and they had paid $600.00 for it. He had driven the day before to meet someone to sell it and they didn’t show up. (Thank heavens! Literally!) When he opened up the laptop to show my husband, this was his screensaver…

The password was “live4him”, and the media player was filled with contemporary Christian music!

When my husband told me all of this, I knew that God was telling me that this laptop was a gift from Him. Honestly, I hadn’t even prayed for a laptop, because I knew that we couldn’t really afford one.

But I know that my God is a God that knows the desires of our hearts without us saying a word! And he takes pleasure in giving us unexpected blessings!

Now I’m not saying that if you believe in God that he will bless you with material things. On the contrary, most of the time our lives as Christians are marked by trials and suffering. But through those times, God still blesses us with spiritual gifts, PEACE, JOY, PATIENCE, STRENGTH, WISDOM, HOPE, and many more.

God shows me his blessings every day…

*the faces of my four sweet little boys singing his praises in the back of the car

*a loving husband who provides for our family

*warm sunshine on my face

*cokes in the McDonald’s drive-thru :)

*soft pillows to lay my head on at night

*popcorn and movies

*baseball season

*FORGIVENESS OF MY SINS!

I know you all could make your own list of the blessings you have received. I could go on forever!

But I especially thank God today for my laptop. Would I still love Him if I was still looking for a laptop? Absolutely. Would I still love Him if I never found one at all…you better believe it!

This was just the cherry on top of the beautiful life he has already given me.

Some people would say this was just a coincidence, but I know better.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen!” Ephesians 3:20

In Awe of His Goodness,

Traci