🎈🎊The celebrations of Pentecost Sunday and Memorial Day immersed me in an ocean of profound gratitude and ineffable joy! Monday morning still held the lingering scent of daisies and roses. My gratitude toward the Holy Spirit was so intense that I decided to stay home to contemplate His beauty a little longer that morning.
After lunch, I began attending to the bookkeeping. As the afternoon wore on, so too did my dread grow at the darkness into which I was slipping. With every new discovery, my heart skipped a beat; far removed from joy and plunged into uncertainty, I verged on terror.
How dark the night turned for me!
I realized that I had failed to record the 2026 payroll, nor had I filed Form 941 (the Federal Quarterly Employer’s Tax Return), which had been due on April 30th. To top off my woes, I inadvertently picked up a large envelope containing details regarding my line of credit—which is set to expire in October 2028. And I owe nearly $65,000.00. It was, by no means, a good time to receive that information.
But what really tipped the scales was discovering that someone was buying jewelry and other things with my card. I felt my mouth go dry; I also knew that the bank would refund the money. But feeling robbed leaves a bitter taste deep down. How dark the night turned for me!
I called the bank, and they canceled my card. Now comes the hassle: I have to remember all my automatic payments; otherwise, I could face fines or even suffer service interruptions. Another headache is that my son has the card, and he’s currently on a cruise. What will happen if he needs it? Although, in reality, everything is paid for in advance. But a mother’s heart is very soft.
I went to bed—like the spoiled child that I am—yet trusting in my good Lord, and I said: “Father, is it possible that the Devourer is devouring what You give me?” And I fell asleep peacefully in my Father’s arms.
Episode II
On Tuesday morning, I woke up with a feeling I couldn’t quite name. Yet my heart was at peace. I needed to buy groceries, and then I remembered: I didn’t have a credit card. But I thought to myself, “I’ll just use my debit card.” The Holy Spirit prompted me to check the balance of my checking account.
To my dismay, there was an overdraft of over $5,000; I had deposited the funds via mobile, but it was a public holiday, and they wouldn’t be reflected until that night. There was no real problem, but had I tried to use my debit card, it would have been declined. So, the Lord spared me from that embarrassment. Consequently, I opted to withdraw some cash instead.
It was at that moment that the Holy Spirit ministered to my life through Romans 8:28. On my way home from the store, I began to give thanks to God for every dark and terrifying episode—one by one.
It went like this: “Thank You, Father, because I love You and have been called according to Your purpose; therefore, You will cause my situation with the Visa card to work out for my own good.”
As I gave thanks to God for each dark episode, it transformed into joy and strength. Glory be to God! As I was driving, that joy welled up inside me, and I kept shouting in my car: “Thank you, Lord, for Your goodness! I receive Your goodness!”
From my Garden of Exotic Thoughts