[Flash Fiction]
Pound, pound, pound. Pause. Then again. Pound, pound, pound. The intense pulsating ache at the left corner of my forehead was stubbornly persistent. The steady pounding sound matched the rhythmic drums of a master musician. It felt like someone was purposefully ripping the muscles in my forehead apart, layer after layer.
I entered the pharmacy to get the medication. I left work at the middle of my night shift so the inside of the store was, unsurprisingly, a little dark. A small figure hurdled at the end of the allergy medication aisle, sniffing every two seconds. I walked past. Then, right there at the center of the next aisle, I found what I was looking for. Something for the pain. I grabbed the pack and made my way to the cashier.
"You know, m'aam," the cashier lady said. "There's a better one for headaches. Do you want to ask the pharmacist?"
"It's ok. I'll take this one."
"Sure." She wasn't smiling.
Although she was pretty, she had some wrinkles on her forehead. "I've had to deal with chronic migraines myself over the past few years," she said.
I looked behind me. There was no one waiting. It was a 24-hour store and at 2am in the morning it was reasonable that there weren't too many people in the store.
"Tell me about it," I said, looking straight into her eyes. She looked back at me, I could tell that she was half-expecting me to withdraw my invitation. "Tell me about it," I repeated. More firmly this time.
"Well..." She went into the full details of her life. Her family. Her children. Her husband. How she had to make ends meet. The school fees. The rent. Her shifts. On and on.
I had forgotten I had a headache. Or about my own shift. I reached out and held her hand. "Would you mind if I prayed with you?" I asked, believing that God had already heard her cries and was present to intervene in her situation." With gentleness and a renewed sense of calmness, she nodded and bowed her head to pray, a single tear sliding down her left cheek. When we were done she looked up. "You don't even know how much this means."
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►►►God Cares About the Smallest Things
The love of God is like a Shepherd that leaves 99 sheep to look for one that got lost. Just for you, He would do anything. You and I are more important to Him than the air we breathe is important to us. He cares about both the big things and the tiny stuff. Stuff you think nobody cares about. He cares deeply about that thing that you're constantly worrying about, even as you read this Blog right now. How do you think God felt when He laid His life on the cross? The life was snuffed out of Him in one of the most painful deaths ever recorded in history. He did it at a price. And He had to do it because He is a principled God and it needed to happen for a reason. That's extreme love.
Many times, it's the small things. This past week, I found something "precious" I thought I'd lost for good. I was vacuuming the carpet and before I reached the corner behind the door, I got a nudge in my spirit to pause and look at the floor. Unbelievable! What I'd been looking for was right there, and I got stopped by the Holy Spirit right before the vacuum could suction it right up. Even the Small things.
►►►A Timely Reminder
The thoughts on your mind may be big or small, but I want to remind you today that God sees. He knows. He cares. Those secrets. Those dreams. Sometimes we wonder "when" He will intervene. But He has the perfect timing for everything. We pray, not because He doesn't already know, but because it's a great way to focus on Him (and Him alone). We pray because prayer is not a one-way conversation but also a way for us to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He gently tells us what direction to take. He's always there, but we're not always "tuned in."
He is the Alpha and Omega, and nothing (I mean, absolutely nothing) is too sensitive for Him to touch. Just give it all to Him today. If it was just for you (and for no one else), He still would have died on the cross just to save you. That's how much He loves each and every one of us.
What is it that you're still worrying about? Let go, and let God today.
As always, I'd love to read your comments. Have a fantastic week and pause this week to remember how intensely God loves you.
♥ J.
