briefly chatted. The coworker mentioned how sheâd heard about a 10-year-old girl who dreamed about going on a school trip to Washington, DC, but it would cost each child $300. To the little girlâs family it might as well be a million dollars.
The girlâs dream haunted Cindy. Between phone calls over the next couple of hours, her thoughts wandered. What am I going to name my colt?â¦Iâm so blessed that I got my dream horse. How can I help that little girl get her dream? When the questions merged, she knew it was inspired by God.
Instant Messaging her coworkers, she shared the two situations andthen explained her plan. âIâm going to hold a contest. Weâre going to name my horse and help a girl go on a field trip with her class. So message me your suggestions for a name along with any amount of money youâre willing to donate to help the little girl. Iâll draw the winning horse name out of a hat.â
The contest was a big hit! Workers messaged names and donation amounts. Cindyâs daughter mentioned the contest to the three-year-old girl she took care of. Excited about entering the horsey contest and helping the schoolgirl, the little girl told her mother about it. The mother agreed to chip in some money, and the girl chose the name âTuk,â pronounced âtwoâ with a hard âkâ sound at the end. It was how she spelled tuque , a Canadian word for hat. Cindyâs daughter submitted the entry.
On the day of the drawing, Cindy compiled all the names on a sheet of paper, cut each one out, and folded it up. At 4:30, she went into the managerâs office. Although Dan looked like an older version of a bruiser football player, he had a soft heart for kids. He poured the slivers of paper into his baseball cap. With his thickset hand he stirred them and then drew one.
Cindy leaned forward, trying to be patient while he slowly unfolded the paper.
In his deep voice he read, âTuk!â
Cindy chuckled. God had given her the horse of her dreams, and now Heâd guided the managerâs hand and chosen the name too. Heâd also helped them raise enough money to send the 10-year-old girl on the field trip to Washington, DC.
I marvel at this story because Cindyâs blessing resembled a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and biggerâgeometrically growing into blessings for everyone it touched. It exemplifies the power of Luke 6:38 perfectly: âGive, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.â
Cindy had practiced the art of giving for years, and then God blessed her with a horse. God had given her the idea to share her blessing by holding a naming contest. As a result, everyone at the office wasblessed to be part of a meaningful gift to a schoolgirl. The three-year-old girl Cindyâs daughter took care of was thrilled that the name sheâd submitted was chosen. And, best of all, the schoolgirlâs hope became a reality because God encouraged a bunch of people to join together to give a special gift.
This true story inspires me to keep on giving, especially after Iâve received a special blessing. Iâm sure it does the same for you.
Lord, show me opportunities to share hope from the blessings Youâve given me. Amen.
⢠Thoughts to Ponder â¢
When you receive a gift, do you pause to consider how you can use your blessing to bless others? Think of the last gift you received. How could you make it snowball into a blessing for someone else too?
19
GOING HOME
Hope for the Hopeless
T he June sun rose quickly from behind the rolling, pine-studded hills outside of Mead, Washington. A white, compact car bounced across the grassy field. Kathiâs stomach churned as she drove past the horse-driving course dotted with orange construction cones. Parking next to a small,
The girlâs dream haunted Cindy. Between phone calls over the next couple of hours, her thoughts wandered. What am I going to name my colt?â¦Iâm so blessed that I got my dream horse. How can I help that little girl get her dream? When the questions merged, she knew it was inspired by God.
Instant Messaging her coworkers, she shared the two situations andthen explained her plan. âIâm going to hold a contest. Weâre going to name my horse and help a girl go on a field trip with her class. So message me your suggestions for a name along with any amount of money youâre willing to donate to help the little girl. Iâll draw the winning horse name out of a hat.â
The contest was a big hit! Workers messaged names and donation amounts. Cindyâs daughter mentioned the contest to the three-year-old girl she took care of. Excited about entering the horsey contest and helping the schoolgirl, the little girl told her mother about it. The mother agreed to chip in some money, and the girl chose the name âTuk,â pronounced âtwoâ with a hard âkâ sound at the end. It was how she spelled tuque , a Canadian word for hat. Cindyâs daughter submitted the entry.
On the day of the drawing, Cindy compiled all the names on a sheet of paper, cut each one out, and folded it up. At 4:30, she went into the managerâs office. Although Dan looked like an older version of a bruiser football player, he had a soft heart for kids. He poured the slivers of paper into his baseball cap. With his thickset hand he stirred them and then drew one.
Cindy leaned forward, trying to be patient while he slowly unfolded the paper.
In his deep voice he read, âTuk!â
Cindy chuckled. God had given her the horse of her dreams, and now Heâd guided the managerâs hand and chosen the name too. Heâd also helped them raise enough money to send the 10-year-old girl on the field trip to Washington, DC.
I marvel at this story because Cindyâs blessing resembled a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and biggerâgeometrically growing into blessings for everyone it touched. It exemplifies the power of Luke 6:38 perfectly: âGive, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.â
Cindy had practiced the art of giving for years, and then God blessed her with a horse. God had given her the idea to share her blessing by holding a naming contest. As a result, everyone at the office wasblessed to be part of a meaningful gift to a schoolgirl. The three-year-old girl Cindyâs daughter took care of was thrilled that the name sheâd submitted was chosen. And, best of all, the schoolgirlâs hope became a reality because God encouraged a bunch of people to join together to give a special gift.
This true story inspires me to keep on giving, especially after Iâve received a special blessing. Iâm sure it does the same for you.
Lord, show me opportunities to share hope from the blessings Youâve given me. Amen.
⢠Thoughts to Ponder â¢
When you receive a gift, do you pause to consider how you can use your blessing to bless others? Think of the last gift you received. How could you make it snowball into a blessing for someone else too?
19
GOING HOME
Hope for the Hopeless
T he June sun rose quickly from behind the rolling, pine-studded hills outside of Mead, Washington. A white, compact car bounced across the grassy field. Kathiâs stomach churned as she drove past the horse-driving course dotted with orange construction cones. Parking next to a small,
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