|
A Divine Appointment - Charlie, God and Me
by Cheryl Gipson Over the years I have heard many stories of the intervention of angels in people's lives. In Hebrews, Chapter 13, verse 2, the bible says, (paraphrased) "Don't forget to entertain those who are strangers for many by doing this have unknowingly entertained angels." I believe people on this earth act in the manner which angels do when they intervene in the lives of those who need to be rescued. If you are drowning in a river and someone pulls you to safety, they become an angel and the answer to prayer. Though they possess no wings, the compassion and mercy of God is demonstrated in the very act of rescue. God used this method in His plan for my destiny. "For I know the thoughts I think toward you" says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end." So it was with Charlie and me. We had a divine appointment that brought hope and that promise of a future for my life. Having suffered with a painful condition called Fibromyalgia which left me captive to sleepless nights and extreme fatigue, the fear for my future loomed over me like clouds on a stormy day. It prompted me to ask a family member one day, "What is going to happen to me?" I had been through an unwanted divorce and stressful days with family members who did not understand the physical pain and the mental anguish of losing the love of my life. In 2001, with my strength and energy reaching minimal capacity, I became unable to continue publishing my small Christian newspaper. The Victory Report Good News was abandoned and I was left without a source of income. At fifty-six my future appeared bleak and uncertain. I was living with my brother and sister-in-law who saved me from a life on the streets. My mom and I had shared an apartment. When she suddenly graduated to heaven with a brain aneurysm, I was devastated. After the funeral I realized I was unable to afford the rent by myself. The anguish of losing her only added to the pain and sleepless nights. They took me into their home and blessed me with love and companionship. Divine appointment number one. I turned my van over to the bank because I could no longer afford the payments. I was just surviving from day to day. I used ibuprofen for pain when I reached the point that I had to have sleep. In the midst of my despair and lethargy, little did I know that God had a plan for my life to restore the state of my health and give me a hope and a future. A lady came to the house one day and introduced me to proper nutrition. Divine appointment number two. This was God's plan to use her to get me on the path to health again. She actually brought me bottles of supplements as a gift and encouraged me to be faithful to take them. I did. I soon began to see a difference in my sleep pattern. The fatigue and stiff, aching muscles began to diminish as the days passed. The cloud of hopelessness slowly changed into a ray of sunshine. It was a joyous thought that I might be able to get my life back and enjoy independence in my future. Success was still the vision I possessed and God's intervention had begun with the nutritional changes that I was making. Little did I know He was not finished yet! The day came when I realized that I was ready to get back to work. It was a wonderful new beginning. However, I knew that without a car and cash flow, I would be unable to start my business and publish the paper again. My choices were limited to one thing and that was to get a job. I was ready! The lady who educated me in the benefits of good nutrition, stopped by one afternoon with a possible job prospect. Charlie Cox was opening a new funeral home and he was interviewing for an Office Manager. I called him immediately. We met for coffee and a few days later, Charlie hired me to come to work for him. It was my day of a new dawning. I was so grateful for the opportunity to get my life back. Charlie and I began work in his home for a few days and then we opened the new building. We were off on a new adventure. Charlie with his new home owned business and me with a JOB! Thus, was the beginning of the divine appointment for Charlie, God and me. I wanted to help Charlie build his dream and in doing so, one day be able to return to mine, which was to publish "The Victory Report." I knew that God was using Charlie in this stage of my "rescue." In the months that followed, He and I worked hard in his new business which was busy from the week we opened. My first problem was transportation which Charlie provided for me. It was wonderful to have a job and income again. I was able to move into my own apartment. I enjoyed the feeling of independence and I loved my work. I thanked God for being so good to me and each step that Charlie took to help me gain my life back, I knew God was working through him. As time passed, Charlie and his wife sold me her car and helped me to obtain financing. I was blessed with a great price and I still drive that car today and it is paid for! I remain amazed at how quickly and easily my life was set back on the path of success through this divine appointment. I saw my needs met through the goodness of people who had a heart to help others. In the season that I worked for Charlie, I experienced his and Tami's generosity upon many occasions. It impressed upon me the simplicity of how God has commanded us to love and care for one another. Having no idea how to start over, God sent Charlie into my life to give me a job and help through the hardest time of my life. He was an angel for me. The timing was divine and it was an appointment that changed my life forever. One special memory I cherish was when my sister-in-law was taking a cruise to Jamaica. Her husband who experiences seasickness easily, did not want to go. She offered me the opportunity to take his place. I approached Charlie for the time off. I only had two days vacation left and needed five for the trip. After we discussed the situation, he gave me the time off, paid me for the other three days and included a bonus for my awesome vacation. It was the trip of a lifetime and the generosity of Charlie was one of the reasons I was able to go. Not only was Charlie my boss, but he and Tami were my friends. There are far too many ways in which my life was blessed by this family for me to mention here. I will always be grateful for our divine appointment and the work that God accomplished in that season of my life through them. I never think about where I am today that I do not realize how I got here. When God says that He has thoughts toward us for peace and for a future and hope, we may not know how He will bring that to pass, but we must realize that He works in simple and practical ways. He uses us, to help others reach that hope and future He has planned for their lives. What may not look like a big thing to us may be the answer to prayer for the person you stop to help. Nothing we do gets passed our Father and He pours out His love in our lives through one another. God has divine appointments for all of us. Perhaps we should ask Him where our next appointment is and pray that we do not miss it, that we might fulfill our destiny to love one another as He has loved us. May we all remember that God moves in simplicity and the love of Calvary! "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us." 1John 11 & 12 www.victoryreportonline.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |