Giants win again!

Did you know your greatest adversary, your giant of confusion, difficulty, testing, is also a giant of blessing, grace and miracle? 

It's true. 

I have proof once again~

Just as in my post Orlando Magic!, God has come  in with a small, precious miracle once again. 

Blowing me away mind you! Is His grace to always be in the small for me? 

If this is so, let it flow! 

(Once again forgive me all you sports fans for purposefully titling this post with the Superbowl favorite; Go Giants! Yes, I am a fan....but it was too perfect to pass up!)

I recently heard that the word for giants in the bible, is in some cases translated 'great'. 

As is the case of Goliath whom David conquers~

Great.

Not something we usually think of when imagining giants. 

Let your mind loose for a moment and humor me for a moment....

 

Imagine if you will traveling across the country, checked bags stuffed full to the 50 pound max, carry-on bursting with last minute 'must have's' and personal suitcase not full of clothing and toiletries as much as more supplies with which to capture the workshop participants full conversion to the amazing medium of encaustic...

here in you have me! 

Loaded down with all the goods to inspire~

Now imagine this same loaded down traveler, coming directly from the aforementioned Orlando Magic! debacle-turned-blessing, 

arriving at the next destination,

only to realize the much needed, can't pull this off without it, main material  for teaching had inadvertently been substituted with a worthless counterfeit! 

How dare the universe continue to challenge and mess with my determined goal to inspire! 

How dare.....

My giant?

A mis-shipped box of supplies.

In Orlando, an untraveled supply case. 

Way back in time-my first encaustic workshop ever-an ill wired electrical circuit and many blown fuses...(note I teach with 'stations' now!? At the time a giant I thought had me beat, but by determinately fighting against, look at me now!?)

Why, or rather, How? you ask...

Standing against each one, each giant, just at my right hand, always going before me~

My God. 

No longer deniable.

Incapable of being written off as coincidence. 

Beyond accepting as my own certain efforts.

My God. 

Small miracles.

In my travel-weary haze my mind raced over the options available; tucked away in the small mountain community of Saluda, NC at the delightful Random Arts  just hours away from the starting gun for a six day immersion between here and Asheville, how was I to find this much needed supply?!

All panic aside, 

all past performance squelched (yes, I've been known to perform a good panic...), 

I did the obvious and made a few phone calls. 

Then I did the necessary;

prayed.

trusted.

determinately believed my God was WAY greater than this little ol' giant~!

and went to bed :)

Guess what? (Need I say it?!)

It worked. It works. He works!

Saving you the nail-biting details of the hours between determined decision and miracle performed, let it be known that 11 wonderful women got full-on waxy on Thursday February 2nd in Saluda! 

And 11 more will do the same today. 

And 15 more will do so, twice over, in Asheville for the next four days....

God did more than perform a miracle to swell my heart with gratitude,

or once again firmly establish me in the blessings of determination of trust, 

and obviously save my hiney! 

He also extended this blessing to each and every participant for this six day tour~

as well as, I hope, everyone finding their way to this post. 

It was with bold confidence I told my God I would tell all who would hear me of His great grace in my life through this small miracle. 

So I tell. 

And swell. 

With blessed trust~

And a quick nod to the UPS driver :)

 

So I say bring on the giants. They may look like unconquerable beasts, but I will forever think of them as 'great'- 

great blessings~

I don't care how boystrous and immovable you make yourself out to be; my God will always stand taller, bolder and more determinately at my right hand than any puny giant any day~

in love. trish

(thank you Marianne for singing this song while painting :)