If the dear reader will remember, for the month of February I had challenged myself to look daily for God in the details of my life. I believe that, for the most part, I was able to successfully meet the obligations of that challenge. The result is that I have developed deeper feelings of gratitude and appreciation of my Heavenly Father. I truly believe that He is with me at all times and will work to direct my path for good.
Now, there were times during this challenge where it was easy to see God in the details. At other times, it was only after further reflection did I notice that God had had His hand in that situation. I am grateful for the growth that occurred in me as I learned to pause, notice, and reflect on Heavenly Father's omnipresence in my life.
At the beginning of the month there were two very obvious examples of God blessing me. And they just happened to coincide with each other. The first Wednesday in February I felt myself getting sick. I was afraid that it was going to be the flu that was going around through my work place. I stayed home Wednesday to rest. When I woke up Thursday I felt a little better so I went to work. I wasn't at work for long when I noticed that I was feeling a little warm. I took my temperature and lo and behold a fever. I sent myself home.
I was beginning to panic a bit because my niece was being baptized on that Saturday. I was supposed to leave on Friday to ride down to Utah with my parents. Here is where God stepped in. My fever broke. I still had an ugly sounding cough but the other symptoms had cleared. I was able to attend Maddie's baptism. Being with family always helps me see God in the details.
In February I was also blessed to see God in the details in a couple of different work situations. In both cases, it was only after reflection that I realized how God had blessed me. The first occurrence was when I had the opportunity to travel over to our state capital to participate in a press conference with our governor. The travel required a flight. I was preparing some remarks during the flight. The guy sitting next to me noticed what I was doing and asked about it. I explained that I was on my way to our capital to advocate on behalf of school-aged children. The governor was seeking to restrict access to e-cigarettes and other vaping devices to minors. The governor wanted a school nurse on the panel and I was the one who, from our statewide association, was selected to go. As we were deplaning the guy said to me, "You are the coolest school nurse I've met. I can't picture any school nurses from where I grew up doing something like you are going to do today." I didn't think much of that comment then, other than that was an awesome thing to say. But as I have reflected more on that comment, particularly the last line about other not stepping up, I can see how that comment has been a blessing to me.
The second work instance happened during a conversation with a teacher. I was wearing my "union" hat at that time. The teacher had some contract concerns and was feeling unsupported by the administration. As we were conversing and troubleshooting, she stopped me in the middle of my conversation to say, "You know, for someone who has never taught in a classroom, you really get it. I so appreciate your insights." Again, initially I did not think much of the comment. And again, after thinking on it more, I was able to see God's presence in that comment. It was a special moment as I realized that those "insights" are manifestations of the gift of discernment and a blessing from my Heavenly Father.
February was a special month. I'm grateful that I decided to challenge myself to look for God in the details of my life.
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