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<\/p>\nTears burned my eyes as I looked at the picture.\u00a0 I was overwhelmed by the goodness of God.\u00a0 Just an hour before, I had been on the phone with my daughter; catching up as she walked to her first class.\u00a0 I heard a small grunt and then there was silence.\u00a0 She had tripped over the uneven sidewalk.\u00a0 She was okay, but her sandals were not so fortunate.\u00a0\u00a0 She was already on campus and needed to get to class so there was no time to go home for a functioning pair of shoes.\u00a0 She tried calling a roommate to see if she could bring a pair, but there was no answer.\u00a0 So off to class she went, knowing that she had to make time between classes to go home.<\/p>\n
In the scheme of things, it wasn’t a devastating event; more of a frustration.\u00a0 But isn’t that what life throws at us most of the time?\u00a0 Little irritations and frustrations.\u00a0 Situations that interrupt our schedules.\u00a0 Situations that make us change plans.\u00a0 Situations that cause disruption to\u00a0all that\u00a0we’re juggling.<\/p>\n
It’s in those times that even the smallest, kind gesture can make all the difference.\u00a0 That’s where the picture comes in.\u00a0 When my daughter got back to her house, she found a note and some chocolate.<\/p>\n
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Her roommate was sorry that she couldn’t help, but hoped that her day would get better.<\/p>\n
It made my daughter cry.<\/p>\n
Her caption for the picture when she sent it was, “my roommates are the\u00a0best!”<\/p>\n
As the tears started welling up, I couldn’t help but think about how good God is!\u00a0 How he had so graciously provided loving, encouraging roommates for my daughter.<\/p>\n
It also\u00a0reminded me of how God concerns himself with the details of our lives, even those irritations of life.\u00a0 I find that when big, overwhelming circumstances arise, I automatically call out to God.\u00a0 But with the smaller ones, I try handling them on my own thinking they are just the annoyances of life and I should just suck it up.\u00a0 The trouble is, I don’t always deal with them well.\u00a0 I let them add up until I am overwhelmed, irritable, and\u00a0weary.\u00a0 The kind of weary that makes you just want to go back to bed, pull the covers up over your head, and hope the world goes away.<\/p>\n
But that’s not what God wants for me.\u00a0 He wants to be part of the details.\u00a0 He wants me to call out to Him in those minor irritations and frustrations.\u00a0 He may not remove or fix the problem.\u00a0 (My daughter’s shoe was still broken and she sill\u00a0had to make time to go home for a new pair.)\u00a0\u00a0But He will certainly give\u00a0me strength, wisdom, and peace during those times if\u00a0I ask.<\/p>\n
And sometimes He’ll even give the gift of chocolate. That extra sweet, melt in your mouth chunk of\u00a0goodness that says, I see you and I’m here….<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
P.S.\u00a0 Another daughter was having a bad day so this is what her friend gave her…. I’m telling you, chocolate is truly a gift from God!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tears burned my eyes as I looked at the picture.\u00a0 I was overwhelmed by the goodness of God.\u00a0 Just an hour before, I had been on the phone with my daughter; catching up as she walked to her first class.\u00a0 … Continue reading ![\"12011321_398363050363884_4639482367918163358_n\"](\"http:\/\/www.karen-gustafson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/12011321_398363050363884_4639482367918163358_n.jpg\")
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