God Stop Moment

God Stop Moment

(I originally posted this on my FB page May 30, 2008, right after moving to Lexington from Atlanta. But after meeting a couple of new (to the area) ladies at my bible study, I thought this might encourage them!)


Years ago, I heard about the concept of a "God Stop" from Christian speaker and author Beth Moore. Basically, a God stop moment is when something happens to you or you notice something and you just stop and realize that it was totally God.

That happened to me yesterday...

Since moving to SC last weekend, I have been a little bummed/bored/lonely/confused. I know NO ONE here, everything is foreign, my calendar is empty and I am at loose ends as to what to do with my days. I am here because my husband took a new job with Starbucks (Managing Engineer for the new roasting plant they are building here). It was a great opportunity for him, and seeing as he has always been the "bread winner" in this family, I whole-heartedly supported him in taking the job, even though I would have to move away from all I know and love in Atlanta. I have lived in the metro Atlanta area since I was 8 years old - all my friends and family are there. This was gonna be scary and exciting at the same time.

Ansley was graduting from high school and going off to college, so she wouldn't be affected that much. Alyssa has been a real trooper and for the most part, been on board with the whole move (even though she had to leave some special people behind too :). I knew I was going to take the summer off from working, then try to find a job in the fall when school started back. But overall, I wasn't real sure of my place here or what God wanted for me. Where will be the best place to live? Will I like my neighbors? Will I ever make new friends like the ones I am leaving? What church will we go to? Will they have a great youth group like the one I left? Will Alyssa find new friends? Will she like her school? So many unanswered questions that left me a bit unsettled...

I decided (since I had so much time on my hands) that I needed to take some of that time and try to further my walk with God by starting a bible study or finding a good devotional book to read each morning. So far, my favorite part of being here is sitting on my screened porch and drinking my (Starbucks!) coffee in the morning.

I went online, searched the Family Christian Bookstores website, found a couple of possibilities, then went to the local store to check them out. The one I was most interested in was called "The One Year Life Verse Devotional" (365 stories of remarkable people and the Scripture that changed their lives). But alas, they didn't have it in stock. I stood at the rack that had all their devotionals on it and said a quick prayer that God would lead me to the right one for me and my situation.

I must have looked at 30 different ones, and finally settled on one, even though I wasn't really "feelin' it" if you know what I mean. At checkout, the clerk asked me if I wanted them to check for the other devotional at their store near the mall in Irmo (I was going there the next day). They checked, it was there, and they held it for me.

So yesterday, I walked in the mall store and gave the lady my name and told her they were holding a book for me. She started to ring it up, but I stopped her by saying that I just wanted to look at it first - I still wasn't sure I wanted it. She handed it to me and went to help another customer.

I moved to a quiet corner, flipped open the book and started reading the first devotional I came to. This is what the scripture for that devotional said:

Hebrews 11:8 - "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going."

WOW.

Without reading further, I snapped the book shut and said to the clerk "I'll take it!"

Like Abraham, I don't need to know HOW God is working, I simply need to obey when he calls. God is always faithful, and this verse helped me to find the strength to believe that.

Let me know about any "God Stop Moments" you may have had. These kind of stories are so inspiring to me.

(As a follow up to this story, let it be known that my family and I are SO HAPPY here in Lexington! You could not pay me to return to Atlanta - haha. We would even love to retire here - if that's what God wants!)