That's what Family is For

I love to cook. As a result, I get many magazines and catalogs geared toward cooking. I turn the pages looking longingly at the many gadgets and electrical specialty products marketed towards people like me. Some times I indulge, more often than not I turn the page wistfully acknowledging that my budget doesn't have room for the heart shaped waffle iron, even if my kitchen does. Last year I was doing just that, turning the pages of the most recent catalog I had received when I came upon the knives. Henckels knives... oooooooo, ahhhhhhhh. Was this longing or just outright LUST that I was feeling? I said to myself..."Laura, you might as well turn that page because never in your life will you have knives like those!"
In the faith community I am a part of, we have a dear sister named Marguerite. Marguerite is the picture of elegance and decorum at all times. She is also an intercessor. We are friends, but not close enough to talk even frequently, so I was thrilled when she showed up at my 40th birthday party. She walked towards the table and handed me an unusually heavy bag. I'm sure you have already guessed...inside were Henckels knives. She told me God had woken her in the middle of the night and told her to get me Henckels knives. She said He continually "pestered" her about it so much throughout the day that she finally said, "Okay God, I promise I will get her the knives as soon as I get off work!"
That was cool in and of itself...but it was about more than knives to me. For me it was about knowing that God was watching me and aware of even my most trivial desires. It was about God sending me a message to stop saying what I cannot have. As a result of the incident, I immediately enrolled into a program at DePaul university for older adults. And I never reach for a knife now without being reminded of all of the above. But none of it would have happened if my sister in Christ had not heeded the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and obeyed in generosity. Marguerite didn't just buy me knives...she allowed the Holy Spirit to use her as an instrument to help change my life. That's what family is for...and I am forever grateful.