Have you ever had one of those days where you can almost feel a little touch of Heaven on your heart that you know God is with you, filling you with His love & hope.

I have actually grown to expect these moments, not only for myself… as much as I appreciate them… but also so I can share this love with others & give them the hope of a God that desires to pour that love into their hearts too. I’ve learnt over my life that such moments are always to be shared. So, here is an attempt to put into words my experience today.

It started with a little surprise hidden amongst the decorated branches of our Christmas Tree. My husband knew I was facing a few boring weeks, recovering from an injury. It was the 3rd time this year that I was facing weeks of rest & recovery, the first two being after two surgeries, so frustration & annoyance were quite paramount in my mind! The slight comfort with this rest time was that I was allowed to take little walks & drive short distances, so a voucher to our local cinema was the perfect gift placed on our tree. So, off to the cinema I went to see a film called Jojo Rabbit. Its review had intrigued me, wondering how on earth Hitler could be scripted in a comical, hilarious role, alongside a boy who idolised him & had the nickname of ‘Rabbit’!

The movie did not disappoint. It engages you with laughter one moment & tears the next. The cruelty & horror of war is disturbing & challenging to watch, but moments of a ridiculously funny imaginary Hitler; a witty & cheeky boy & a mother’s pure & brave love keeps one captured to the very end. The reality of confronting war scenes showing such hatred toward one race to another lead me to moments of inwardly crying out to God asking Him when will it all end… all the hate; devastation; hardship of not just war, but also what we are currently going through with this most dreadful drought & bushfire season. It’s interesting to see how emotional scenes can conjure up all sorts of questions & supplications, especially when what you are viewing is showing real & true events in our history. I settled back into the story being reminded that this is why Jesus came & will come again… to bring victory, peace & an eternity of love. It’s such distractions & mind wandering that often has me needing to see a movie more than once, to catch up on moments I have missed from being blessed with an over active mind! At the conclusion of the movie I sat pondering all that had taken place in its final moments, knowing there is always hope & committing in my heart to never let it go. I was a tad surprised at the unexpected ‘meaningful’ experience I had just had.

Well it was time to leave, but of course I waited to see where the movie was made – some habits die hard, but others were caught in that moment of having to tear themselves away, so I didn’t feel too silly! What awaited me in the foyer though was such a beautiful & comforting surprise… the unexpected song playing over the loud speakers was an old favorite & one I used to sing in my youth all over the Central West in a singing group I was in… it was “I Believe”! I knew in that moment God was up to something, so I stayed casually looking at the gifts for sale, singing along silently until the song ended…

“I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows.
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows.
I believe for everyone that goes astray, someone will come to show the way,
I believe, I believe.
I believe above the storms, the smallest prayer will still be heard.
I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word.
Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf or see the sky,
then I know why…I believe”.

It was a beautiful moment & one I couldn’t wait to share with my dear man who had not only given me such a thoughtful gift, but an experience I had not expected. Oh & please don’t worry; he is well used to my serendipity stories.

RABBIT
As I left the cinema I decided to go & look at the beach as I knew my man who was away this day, would not be phoning for an hour. As I strolled toward the beach you’ll never guess what hopped right in front of me, startling me as I had to stop myself from stepping on it. A cute little bunny! I couldn’t believe it as a rabbit had featured in the movie. Rabbits are really up there with ducks for me & this little ‘sign’ was telling me the evening was not over yet. Bunnies are often hopping around this part of the coast, but I have never found them this friendly. We had a little chat – I know! Yes I do talk to animals, especially cute ones & told him I was pleased he was safe & to enjoy nibbling the grass (you’ll have to see the movie to understand why I said that)! I made my way to the beach enjoying a cool change that had blown in from the south, so I sat enjoying the rough coastline & waves crashing on the shore.

AVOCA1
As I sat reflecting, an elderly gentleman came & asked if he could share the seat. He was waiting for an order at the fish & chip shop nearby. Of course I motioned for him to sit down & we were soon in a friendly conversation. Again I knew God was up to something as this fellow was from a country town I knew well & where I used to live many years ago. He shared how he & his wife had retired there & had left their 3 sons & their families to run the large family farm now split into 3, further out west. He seemed comforted to be able to offload to a total stranger who understood the devastation of this drought; the hardships & total hopelessness of not having an income on the farms for 3 years & the frustration of not even having the header out of the shed for the last two years. He shared about the guilt & total helplessness he felt in passing on this ‘problem’ to his boys & also the grief of seeing all his years of hard toil diminishing before his very eyes… which were now wet with emotion!

I let him talk & only interrupted occasionally but I was interested to know how he was coping? Was it a faith or something else? Well this blew my mind & filled me with such admiration which I was then able to encourage him with. This dear man decided to turn his helplessness into hope. He shared how he had decided to volunteer at a high school in another town close by, mentoring children who needed encouragement & help. Children whose families were also affected by the drought; some whose families hadn’t made it through the harmful aftermath & those who had just lost all hope. In those moments of awe I was able to encourage him with programs I knew about & was involved in here on the coast where people were doing what they could to fundraise & show they cared. I also shared a little of my faith & belief that it would rain again; how thousands of people were praying for him, his family & all those suffering like they were. This brought a smile & a look of relief – I knew without a doubt in that moment God had touched this brave man who was carrying a huge load too hard to bear, but was still willing to do what He could to help others. This man had mentioned he was in his mid 70’s, had not given up & was really a true hero. To be able to be a listening ear was such a privilege!

So how do I end such a story of a gift; a meaningful movie; a faith filled song; a rabbit & a divine appointment with a brave stranger? There are no words really… well maybe one – hope! As we approach 2020, my hope is in a verse we say each week at our church…
“May the God of hope, fill you with all joy & peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit”. Romans 15:13.
My pray is you WILL know this God of hope.
Rain WILL come.
The fires WILL be put out.
Love WILL flood our hearts like never before.
God surprises WILL continue to happen for me… & for you as you open your hearts to BELIEVE!

May all this & more be yours in the months ahead. Happy New Year!

Much love
Cathy xx