The UPS truck showed up and deposited a box on my front porch. I wasn’t expecting anything. I wondered what it could be.
I stepped out onto the front porch to retrieve the box and noticed that it had my name on it. I was intrigued. The box was light, as I carried it inside. I wondered what it could be??
As I opened up the box, I discovered it held a pretty pink gift bag … and inside the gift bag was something soft and squishy, wrapped in cute lemon tissue paper. I was beyond curious!!
I pulled out the soft squishy item and carefully unwrapped it.
TaDa!!! It was a pillow!!
Isn’t it the cutest ever!
This surprise gift was from our dear precious friends in Portland. My friend made this beautiful pillow! Isn’t she amazing! And her husband suggested including some lavender essential oil to go along with it. Not only that, her husband had also anointed this pillow with prayer! What an incredible amazing gift!!
Clearly God had led them to send me this gift … right now … at this very moment!
This pillow is a soft squishy “hug” from my dear precious friends! … and not only that, but from Jesus Himself!
And boy do I need a soft squishy “hug” from Jesus right now!! You see, tomorrow, house guests will be arriving … total and complete strangers whom I have never met, and who will be using my home as their free Air B&B for their vacation.
To say the least, I am beyond uncomfortable with this!
“And why,” you are probably asking, “are total and complete strangers coming to use your home as their free Air B&B for their vacation??”
The answer to this question can be found in yesterday’s blog post. The “parsley” has extended the invitation for others to come enjoy the fun of a “free ride”, growing in the pot along with the Hoopes rose (so to speak).
After this round of out-of-town houseguests, the next weekend a second set of out-of-town houseguests will be arriving … coming to use my home as their free Air B&B for their vacation also.
As I stated before, boy do I ever need a soft squishy “hug” from Jesus right now!!
My dear precious friends in Portland are completely unaware of all this drama occurring in my home. And yet they felt the clear prompting of God to send me a soft squishy pillow, anointed with prayer! Right now. At this very moment! The day before all the drama went down!
Wow! God is amazing!
Another thing I love about my precious friends’ gift to me is that she wrapped it in cute lemon tissue paper. Is that not so totally appropriate! Right at this very moment, when my life feels a lot like sour lemons, wrapped inside the lemons is a soft squishy “hug” from Jesus!
Thank you God for sending me a soft squishy “hug” from Jesus! Right when I most desperately needed it!
Thank you Jesus for giving us each other to be Your arms to wrap around each other when we are hurting or sad.
Thank you Jesus for these very dear precious friends in Portland who were Your arms … wrapping Your love around me right when I needed it most!
