The God Box
I left the pastor’s office having just confessed my biggest weakness to him (OK, I might as well let the cat out . . . when I “lay it all down” before the Lord in prayer, I tend to “pick it all up” by the end of the day). A bit embarrassed, I walked into my office to wait for my friend, Raye, to meet with me.
“Hey, Gloria!” she said as we hugged and laughed. “I have to tell you about this homeless guy.”
“What?”
“A Vietnam vet lives in the bushes near the shelter where I work. Right next to Office Max by the bus stop.”
“He lives in the bushes?” I said with a distinct suburban accent.
“Yeah. I got off the bus and he says, ‘Oh, I love your smile. You see why? I don’t have any teeth.’”
“What? Uh . . . gee.”
“‘But hold on,’ he says, ‘I have something for you even though I have no teeth.’ And then he pulls out a harmonica and starts playing a gospel song. When he was done, he says, ‘God loves you. He really does.’ I was just getting off the bus. Isn’t that something, Gloria?”
“Yes it is, Raye.”
“You know, I worry about where I live, about my children, my job. So I made a GOD BOX–being a tangible, hands-on person. Sometimes I have to write things down, pray, then fold it up and put it in the GOD BOX. Once it’s in, you can’t take it back. Means you’re not running the show. Frees you up to listen to God–otherwise, I’m wrapped around Raye.”
Before we knew it, we were at the bus stop with an empty shoebox. Apparently, once you put in “God help me to know what to do at my new job at Hope”–you can’t take it back. Frees you up.
Gloria Wiese, Minister of Discipleship with Raye Black, a new member of Hope
Gordy
July 1, 2015 at 11:27 amGreat thoughts, thank you
Sharon Porter
July 1, 2015 at 1:00 pmThank you for sharing this wonderful experience, Gloria. I once read a book where the main character kept a box, much like Raye’s, where she put in prayers. Each prayer was dated and she would occasionally look through the box and see how God had answered her prayers. I’ve had a box waiting for me to do the same thing. maybe this was the push I needed. thank you. Sharon Porter-
Deb Massie
July 2, 2015 at 3:28 pmGreat idea! I am also a very visual person and a hanger-on of things. I am going to do this. I had a friend who wrote down prayers in a notebook with the prayer on one side of the and the answer on the other. I somehow manage to lose notebooks so a box would be an even better choice.