How I came to possess my computer

I believe in the power of prayer. I believe God wants to hear from us, and He wants us to be specific. However, I don't know that I believed quite as strongly as I should have. All of my life, I had heard stories of prayers being answered in miraculous ways, but being a good Baptist girl, I chalked it up to the "put their hands in the air and worship" people getting an extra dose of "the Holy Spirit". (Disclaimer: It's a joke people...don't take it too seriously). Now, I know differently. God wants ALL of His children to come before Him with their requests, and He delights in watching our little faces get that "I can't believe it worked!" look when He shows us the tiniest fraction of what He is capable of .  God saw that look on my face about a month ago when He answered one of my prayers and showed me He really can do it. 

Recently, I have been feeling the Lord calling me to write. I had no idea how He wanted me to do this, however, seeing as I had no computer. I used to have a computer, but let's just say that milk and Mac laptops, while alliterated, are not actually friends. In fact, one will kill the other. Suffice it to say, I was without a medium to get my thoughts down in a satisfactory manner. Oh sure, I could have used pen and paper, but it just isn't fast enough, and I'm not sure what to do with it afterwards. So, knowing God wanted me to write, and knowing I had no computer, I began to pray. Basically I told God I needed  a computer with something akin to a word processor and access to the internet. And it would be great if it was free. That's really all I needed. Also, asking for a MacBook Pro (for free) seemed greedy. So I just told Him I'd take anything. I'll admit, it was a half-hearted prayer. Mostly because I saw no reason why God should actually GIVE me a computer. I knew He could...but believing He would ? I don't think so. However, that quiet nudge to write wouldn't go away. So I kept praying. 

Fast forward a few weeks. I'm sitting in my dad's office, pouring out my frustration over the fact that I feel I need to write, but I have no computer! He sits there for awhile and says, "What about that old laptop sitting in the backroom?" My reply was probably something akin to horror. "Old" and "laptop" in the same sentence usually aren't great. However, I was a beggar, and by default, could not also be a chooser. So I trudged back there and pulled down a huge, black, ugly, ancient, dusty contraption that I'm sure was "state of the art" at some point in the past 15 years. Ok, it wasn't that bad. But it was definitely not a Mac. I dusted it off and noticed it had an internet card. Definitely helpful. I lugged it back to my dad's office, plugged it in, and Voila! It actually worked!!! It was at this point in time I remembered those pathetic un-believing prayers I'd been sending up. I'm pretty sure it was then that God surely saw that look on my face that communicated a mix of wonder and complete stupification. God had given me a computer. A computer that was pretty much only capable of internet access and word processing. I'm not exaggerating. If I try anything else, it uses too much disk space and almost dies. I love it. I love it because it shows that God had answered my prayer specifically. He had called me to do something, and even when I didn't believe He would, He provided a way for me to fulfill that calling. In fact, it is the computer I am using to write this post. Pretty cool, huh?

Our God is so good! Don't be afraid to come before Him with your needs and requests. He already has everything all worked out. He's just waiting for you get there so He can blow your mind wide open!

Being Singular

On the eve of my 24th birthday, I am contemplating what the word singular means. What is it to be singular? I know what it means as a grammar term. It means there is only one of a thing. Yet, as I think on it, I know that there is more to this word than just the quantity of a noun. So, like any word-lover might, I zipped over to dictionary.com and looked it up. Now, I know how to use this word in a sentence and so on and so forth, but the actual definition is so much better than I had thought it might be. Ready?

Singular: Extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional.
             Unusual; strange/odd; different
              Being the only one of its kind. Distinctive. Unique
              Separate, Individual.

Maybe you weren't nearly as blown away as I was. That's ok. But I couldn't help but think that so much of who I am and where I find myself right now in life can be summed up in that word. Singular.
I am created by God in a singular fashion. There is ONLY one of me. I was created to be singular.
Often I am frustrated by the lack of people out there who see the world as I do. But it's because my mind and           heart are singular.
One could apply this to my social status...singular.
The place that I am in life is a singular one.
The way the idea came to me for this blog is, indeed, very singular. (But that's for another day.)
Everything about me is singular! And I love that! Because that is who I am called to be!
The beauty of it all, of course, is that we are all created to be singular. To be the only of our kind. Unique. Different. YOU are singular. Extraordinary and remarkable. Not because of who you are. But because of Who made you. And He is the author of the singular. Each snowflake He creates is unique. No fingerprint is a duplicate. Each grain in my wood floor has its own pattern. The purpose God has for your life is individual. Mindblowing.
So, tonight, the night before I am one step closer to the next singular year of my life, I am totally reveling in the  beauty of the word singular. And the fact that it is what I am.
So, tomorrow when you wake up and are facing the dread of having to go back to the same old routine, remember, God has made you to be singular. So be extraordinary. It's your calling.