Sam Walton started his first Walmart store just 1.5 hours north of our home in Rogers, AR. A storefront 5 and Dime type back in the early 1960's. By the mid 60's stores were popping up all over Arkansas.
You cant meet a local Arkansan who has either knows someone who has personally met Sam Walton or met him personally themselves. Or they can remember shopping at the early stores. Why even my own family has a neat Walmart story. My Uncle first laid eyes on my gorgeous Auntie in one of the early stores here in Arkansas. And it was true love. They have been married for over 40 years now. How many local Arkansans have similar stories.
I am constantly at Walmart. I am there several times a week as its only a 15 minute drive from my house. As a Momma, you have to have some sort of "escape." And you guessed it, Walmart happens to be mine. Its so much so that I have a made friends with store associates who now know my family. Who now ask about my relatives and even have offered up prayers for concerns regarding my family. I am a loyal Walmart customer to our store.
How this plays into my sharing today is this. Many of my life's circumstances of the past decade have involved our Walmart. I have been in the store when I have gotten calls from the school that my kid is sick, had a "accident," or because of inclement weather.
When my Father in law called me to tell me that he had just prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, I was headed to Walmart. I had to pull over through my tears and pull myself together before heading into the store.
When my husband wrecked his work truck and I got a call from his work stating the accident, I was at Walmart. I couldn't leave fast enough toward the wreck scene.
When my water broke and we were rushing toward the hospital, we needed to stop there to get snacks for the kids in the Labor and delivery room. Our Dear Aunt saw us in the aisles that day and thought I was nuts to be there through my contractions. But hey!! I wasn't going to pay hospital prices for my kids snacks.
Hours and hours of phone calls as I strolled the aisles. Friends and relatives marriages, pregnancies, divorces, moving, starting jobs, quitting jobs, struggles and heartaches of theirs and mine.
We have run into friends and family there countless times for hugs and news.
The day Dad passed. I was in the car headed to Walmart for more groceries.
But most profoundly of late was New Years Eve Day when I relieved a phone call in the scarf aisle from my Brother from California. They had recently had moved to Hawaii to take a bit of a sabbatical there. That day, again my world was rocked as He said:
I don't remember much after that. I don't remember anything expect wanting to fall to the ground in the aisle. I remember looking up to the sun coming through the ceiling windows and mumbling to Heaven, "God are you kidding me?!! this has to be a joke. We just lost Dad."
I called Mom and my Aunt was with her. Thankfully she had someone there. They had called our pastor to come over quickly and He was there too. We spent time on the phone as we cried together, we prayed together, we were in shock together. All in that scarf aisle of Walmart.
Somehow I have just happened to be at Walmart when alot of this has taken place.
Understand that never once have I ever felt God has not been with us. Never once Have I felt like the Lord has abandon us. Dad died with cancer but it wasn't the cancer that took him? nope. It was age. Mom continues to walk her Mets 4 Breast Cancer journey. Is God walking in it with her?!! yes. And most recently and most profoundly. My brother diagnosed with Glioblastoma Brain Cancer in his early 40's. Does he feel like that Lord has abandon him?!! Nope. God told my brother that he would walk this journey but that HE would be with him. And it gave him indescribable peace amidst fighting this evil disease. Only God can do that.
Cancer is evil. It has rained havoc on my family. It has taken ones too soon. It now is trying to battle my Mom and my brother. Are we fearful?!! NOPE!! Because we know that we know that we know that God is all powerful, all knowing, the Creator of the Universe God and HE WALKS with us.
Cancer has no hold on us. It has no victory on our lives. For we belong to Jesus. We are HIS. That brings HOPE, PEACE, LOVE and JOY!! The choice is ours to choose these things. We choose to have them through this very difficult time.
We are believing God for great things to come from this. We are believing God to show up in Big ways because of part of the christian journey is suffering. And with suffering comes HOPE.
We chose to be gatherers of gratitude even in the middle of life's toughest of journeys.
You cant meet a local Arkansan who has either knows someone who has personally met Sam Walton or met him personally themselves. Or they can remember shopping at the early stores. Why even my own family has a neat Walmart story. My Uncle first laid eyes on my gorgeous Auntie in one of the early stores here in Arkansas. And it was true love. They have been married for over 40 years now. How many local Arkansans have similar stories.
I am constantly at Walmart. I am there several times a week as its only a 15 minute drive from my house. As a Momma, you have to have some sort of "escape." And you guessed it, Walmart happens to be mine. Its so much so that I have a made friends with store associates who now know my family. Who now ask about my relatives and even have offered up prayers for concerns regarding my family. I am a loyal Walmart customer to our store.
How this plays into my sharing today is this. Many of my life's circumstances of the past decade have involved our Walmart. I have been in the store when I have gotten calls from the school that my kid is sick, had a "accident," or because of inclement weather.
When my Father in law called me to tell me that he had just prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, I was headed to Walmart. I had to pull over through my tears and pull myself together before heading into the store.
When my husband wrecked his work truck and I got a call from his work stating the accident, I was at Walmart. I couldn't leave fast enough toward the wreck scene.
When my water broke and we were rushing toward the hospital, we needed to stop there to get snacks for the kids in the Labor and delivery room. Our Dear Aunt saw us in the aisles that day and thought I was nuts to be there through my contractions. But hey!! I wasn't going to pay hospital prices for my kids snacks.
Hours and hours of phone calls as I strolled the aisles. Friends and relatives marriages, pregnancies, divorces, moving, starting jobs, quitting jobs, struggles and heartaches of theirs and mine.
We have run into friends and family there countless times for hugs and news.
The day Dad passed. I was in the car headed to Walmart for more groceries.
But most profoundly of late was New Years Eve Day when I relieved a phone call in the scarf aisle from my Brother from California. They had recently had moved to Hawaii to take a bit of a sabbatical there. That day, again my world was rocked as He said:
"They found a tumor in my brain. We are at the hospital getting a MRI and CAT Scan. No formal diagnosis but it looked like cancer. Brain Cancer. Testing, hospital, brain surgery. But I have total peace........."
I don't remember much after that. I don't remember anything expect wanting to fall to the ground in the aisle. I remember looking up to the sun coming through the ceiling windows and mumbling to Heaven, "God are you kidding me?!! this has to be a joke. We just lost Dad."
I called Mom and my Aunt was with her. Thankfully she had someone there. They had called our pastor to come over quickly and He was there too. We spent time on the phone as we cried together, we prayed together, we were in shock together. All in that scarf aisle of Walmart.
Somehow I have just happened to be at Walmart when alot of this has taken place.
Understand that never once have I ever felt God has not been with us. Never once Have I felt like the Lord has abandon us. Dad died with cancer but it wasn't the cancer that took him? nope. It was age. Mom continues to walk her Mets 4 Breast Cancer journey. Is God walking in it with her?!! yes. And most recently and most profoundly. My brother diagnosed with Glioblastoma Brain Cancer in his early 40's. Does he feel like that Lord has abandon him?!! Nope. God told my brother that he would walk this journey but that HE would be with him. And it gave him indescribable peace amidst fighting this evil disease. Only God can do that.
Cancer is evil. It has rained havoc on my family. It has taken ones too soon. It now is trying to battle my Mom and my brother. Are we fearful?!! NOPE!! Because we know that we know that we know that God is all powerful, all knowing, the Creator of the Universe God and HE WALKS with us.
Cancer has no hold on us. It has no victory on our lives. For we belong to Jesus. We are HIS. That brings HOPE, PEACE, LOVE and JOY!! The choice is ours to choose these things. We choose to have them through this very difficult time.
We are believing God for great things to come from this. We are believing God to show up in Big ways because of part of the christian journey is suffering. And with suffering comes HOPE.
We chose to be gatherers of gratitude even in the middle of life's toughest of journeys.
God be with you today. Tomorrow I will be sharing a little of my Brother's journey. All though it is their story to share. I want people understand what he has already experienced and what his next steps are. God Bless us as we travel this road. Hugs and love from one "gatherer" to the next.2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Good News Translation (GNT)9 But his answer was: “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me. 10 I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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