Spiritual Confetti

Went to a "Women's Tea" at a community church, was invited by a friend. It was a wonderful treat. A little different walking into a room of 50 women and not knowing one. Lord this is such a different feeling, why Lord have you brought me here? Why Lord have you called our entire family to a journey of firsts, unknowns, and often strange feelings? Yet you have and we have answered the call and moved. This is going to be fun I say to myself. You will meet someone God has intentionally laid out for you to meet. I write my name tag and I am escorted to my table. I look for my name tag and I find it next to my friend Melissa. Guest is says. I think oh nice I don't even have a name and yet Lord you know my name. I am your Guest. Do I treat you as my Guest? I set down my purse and take a step to the side. I look around, I see ladies sharing stories, everyday things going on in their lives. I don't know any of them, they don't know me. Is this what the Lord wants me to see. This is like the world; and I am placed here to share with the people I meet many who don't know Him. Am I that excited to share with others the very things He has placed on my heart. Melissa arrives and whew "I know someone" and they know me. Just as we are about to sit down. I have introduced myself to a couple of the ladies. We share tea and scones. Learned about what a "full tea" and a "high tea" are - couldn't repeat it now though because I can't remember. How funny is that. We eat our treats and little sandwiches, dainty as they are and sip tea from beautiful china tea cups. It is nice. I feel like I am being served a dose of HIS love in nice settings and wonderful fellowship just being women. Discussions of books they have read, trips they have taken, love that has been given, kids, colds, school, soccer games, college, work and marriages. Lots of discussions and yet I think "but Cindy you said you didn't know them" Here God has met you in the voices of and faces of strangers, here He has said I love you with my love, let me give you a treat, a little taste and feel of me.....



Then a wonderful lady from their church gets up to share a moment of her faith 93 she is and she talks about what happens when we listen to God. When He places someone on our heart and asks us to pray for them. Even if we don't know them or know what to pray. He blesses us and them when we do that. She shared how even though that wasn't who she would pick to pray for, God knew, He knew why, and so she did pray, and pray, met with her, had lunch with her, prayed, and prayed. Lost touch with this prayed for friend and just a month ago, got a phone call from this prayed for friend. This friend wanted her to know how much she our 93 year old friend had changed her life. She was tear stained and will forever be awed that God could use her. Just plain old her. Guess what that is what he wants from each of us. To use just plain old us. Yes Lord please use me.



Then the speaker was introduced. "Wendy" can't remember her last name. She was also very wonderful. A breath of fresh air in my often times cloudy life lately. She reminded us all that we are all encourager's. Yes we are women and we need encouragement and yet we each play a role whether big or small as encourager's. She gave a visual for each part of our encouragement as a reminder they were all wonderful and very real. I pray in the days ahead I will have time to journal about each or at least some of those visuals. We shall see my friends.



Now for the title she ended with the "Confetti" Story and I loved it so I would like to share it with all of you. May you too be blessed in this day by this story and may we all be ready to through and share our spiritual confetti. Amen

Confetti

by Nicole Johnson

Who doesn't like throwing confetti up in the air? At weddings or parties or n New Year's Eve, everyone wants something in their hands to throw. It's a way of lavishing our love on people. Whether it's paper, rice, or birdseed, it's a way of cheering others on. Confetti is a tangible expression of our intangible emotions. like happiness you can see and throw someone's way.

Encouragement is to a relationship what confetti is to a party. It's light, refreshing, and fun. It's cheer you can throw someone's way. But even deeper, it is the assurance you are there, that you are standing behind them and supporting them. The time ti takes to gather little pieces of love, grace, strength, and hope is well worth it when you see what happens as you shower those gifts on someone else. It's like spiritual confetti, and it;s the ultimate encouragement.

But how can we encourage someone else when we feel so discouraged? (Wow this one really hit me!!!) Our temptation is to stand in the corner of the encouragement party. Just hang around the edges and observe everyone else having a good time. But that never works. It's not until we start throwing the confetti on others that we realize how much is landing on us!

As we encourage each other, The Father encourages us. The two are interwoven. As we release the confetti on returned prodigals, we weep as we remember the confetti He threw when we came home. When we help a friend carry her broken heart, our own heart feels a lot lighter. We can encourage others from the overflow of God's encouragement to us.

So what are we waiting for? Grab a handful of confetti and jump in! But be careful, you're liable to find little pieces of it stuck on your own clothes for weeks!