Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Good Morning! I am so sorry these posts have been getting up late. Life around the Simpson household can get kind of crazy. This week has been even crazier than normal. But it has been punctuated by God's surprise blessings as well. Something I need to go write down!

I hope that if your week is crazy or stressful or scary.... or if it's sweet and joyous and happy... that you always remember how much God loves you!

-Becky


God's Amazing Love

Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows. (Matt. 10:29-31, NLT)

We have a friend of the family named Don who was adopted into our family a little over 23 years ago. The story of when we found him is pretty incredible because it is such an amazing display of God's love.

It was November of 1984 and our family was living on Maui where my dad was pastoring a very small church. One evening he received a phone call from another pastor in Washington. This pastor had received a very long suicide letter from Don. Don had lived in Washington his whole life and had attended this pastor's church. But after losing everything he owned, Don had recently flown to Maui where he planned to end his life. In fact, only 3 days remained before Don's money ran out and he would carry out his plan of suicide. The Washington pastor asked my dad if he could please try to find Don before that happened.

Because of other obligations, my dad had only one shot at finding Don in time. The next day, Friday, around lunchtime he drove to Kihei on the other side of the island. The only information he possessed was the name of the condos where Don was likely staying, and a physical description of Don. He and several others were in prayer as he ventured into what seemed like an impossible mission.

He found the condo office rather easily and went inside to inquire about which unit Don was renting. The receptionist was very nice, but she stated that Don was often on the beach and was rarely in his quarters. My dad got back in the car and said a prayer before driving the short distance to where Don's unit was located.

My dad had no way of knowing that while he had been making the drive to Kihei, Don had indeed been on the beach taking a walk. He was contemplating his life and his plan to commit suicide. In just two days he intended to take a bottle of pills, lie down on the beach, and wait for the waves to carry his body out to sea. As he walked along the water’s edge, he turned to look at the long, green slopes of Haleakala. He didn’t notice the incoming wave. It struck him from behind, forcing him off balance and causing his glasses to fly off his face. He was blind as a bat without them. He looked but couldn’t see them anywhere. In anger he raised his fists to the sky and challenged, “Okay, God, if there really is a God, if you really do exist, then prove it and help me find my glasses.” He looked down just as the water receded and there were the glasses right at his feet.

Don was dumbfounded. He picked up the glasses, put them back on his face and made his way back to the second floor condo. He didn’t know what to do or where to go from there. He was going to be completely out of money on Sunday. He owned nothing and knew no one on the island. So if there really was a God, what now? He knelt down by the bed and began to pray. “God, I have no one. I have nothing. I’m at the end of my rope. If You really want me to live, You need to send someone to help me.” Having said that, he got up and walked out onto the lanai overlooking the parking lot.

At that exact same moment my dad was getting out of his car. He looked up in time to see a short, skinny man in his 50's walk out right above him. This man fit Don's description, right down to the color of clothes he was wearing.

“Don Larsen?” my dad called. Don could not have been more shocked as he looked down to see who was calling his name. He was very tearful and emotional when my dad told him who he was and why he was there. As he told my dad about the prayer he had prayed by the bed, they were both in awe, realizing that God’s timing had been perfect.

My dad brought Don home with him and Don lived with us for several months, becoming part of our family. Next month Don will turn 79 and he is again living with my parents for a while. God saw Don all those years agao and He had a plan to save his life, both physically and spiritually. Even today I never cease to be amazed at the lengths to which God went to show His love. He could have chosen to save Don’s life in so many different ways, but none would have said “I love you” quite like this one.

God loves you the same way. Look for it...