Held Up in the Handbag Aisle. A Note From Jan.

Well, those of you who read the latest CaringBridge know that I was stopped and prayed for in the handbag aisle at Lord and Taylor the other day.

I laughed a lot writing and reflecting on that excursion, but God didn’t leave me with just a laugh or two. You also know that I wrote how it prompted my puzzler to go into gear, not long after I’d purchased a major cover-up in the swimsuit department.

Remember the Grinch who Stole Christmas?

“He puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Insert HEALING where Christmas rests above.

“Maybe healing, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

As I’ve “puzzled and puzzed,” I’m aware of the God who notices limps . . .hidden ones.  And who loves the limper.

Perhaps that was the healing gift in the handbag aisle.

To be reminded of the God who notices and nudges.

A young woman…“looked at me with compassion.”

A young woman… “felt prompted.”

A young woman, more flushed in face than I, asked, “May I pray for you?”

Perhaps she felt encouraged in her faith because she acted on a whisper from God’s Spirit.

Not all God prompts us to do makes sense.

Naaman, “Go dip in that dirty river 7 times and you’ll come up clean…no more leprosy.”

Samuel, “Anoint young David (the sheep herder) as the next king of Israel…don’t look at the outside. I’m aware of the heart.”

Ruth, “Go into the barley field and gather the dregs for you and Naomi. Have I got a plan for your life!  Trust me.”

Mary, “Time to take that expensive perfume and put it to God use.  Pour it in on Jesus’ feet and wipe his feet with your hair.”

In the days since I was held up in the handbag aisle, I’ve been aware, again, of a God who sees and tends.

Healed knees are the small stuff.

Not worth breaking a sweat over.

God is Spirit so if I want to see God’s face, so to speak, it’s gotta come from one of God’s kids.

The compassion of God came through that young woman’s face and held me captive in that aisle. 

Still does.

The tentative questioner — “may I pray for you?” — reminded me that God knows that I need healing and where.

For most of us, that’s not as visible as a bum knee.

So, thank you Kimberly, for your courage.

Thank you for listening and acting in the way you felt prompted.

I am both “needy and safe.”

Well, sorta safe.

And I hope and pray that if Jesus nudges me to do something out of my comfort zone, but in the name of Love, I won’t pull back and hide behind my personality type.

I hope I’ll be one of those, “not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.”

Not one who slinks off, “almost persuaded.”

No healed knee, so far.

But I’m better, much better, for having been touched by courageous Love, which can show up even in an aisle at Lord and Taylor.

As for the swimming suit…

Time to sweat!