God Winks 2-16-25

It was one of those not quite okay days for Shirley Heeg. As she said, “I fumbled around for days with an essay. I had one purpose in mind, but learned that was not an option. I revised it. Submitted it. Regretted that decision and withdrew it. I questioned myself and lacked direction. Inwardly I grumbled about the news, the troubles that others faced and felt powerless to do good.” At this point she said she looked for Bible verses for renewal. One verse fit. She said, “I staked my prayers on it: ‘renew a right spirit within me.’ from Psalm 51:10.” Then “I got on with daily life,” she said. She opened the day’s mail which included her order from Ebay. The previous week during a spell of nostalgia, she recalled receiving a paper called “Young Life” each week in Sunday School. She even wrote a letter for the page of kids’ seeking penpals. As a result, Heeg connected with kids around the country and world. On a whim on January 25 she searched for information about Young Life on the Internet. She found six copies from 1959 posted on Ebay. Heeg does not frequent Ebay. Over the years she has made three purchases. She wanted to see those childhood papers again. She bought them. The six editions arrived that restless, not quite right day. She sat down to scan the pages and made a discovery she shared on Facebook. It follows.“Does anyone remember Junior Life — a weekly Sunday School handout for elementary kids many years ago? In any given Sunday school year I must have taken home 40-50 of them. They were in print for a decade or so.“Well, last week I found a group of six for sale on eBay and sent for them mostly out of nostalgia. When I was 11, I had mailed a letter that was published on their pen-pal page. As a result, I corresponded for years with lots of kids from as near as Detroit and as far away as New Zealand, Western Australia, and Ghana! I had about 40 at the height of it all, I think. (I spent all my allowance on stamps! I put stationary at the top of my Christmas list.) Eventually most of those relationships would dwindle away, but one became a cherished, life-long friend.“Well, a half-dozen vintage copies arrived today. And, guess what? The third one I opened had my letter in it! How fun to read what I had written back then! Funny little letter! But mostly – what are the odds of finding that specific issue? I had no memory of when I sent it.“I know this does not solve the world’s problems. Doesn’t even change anything around here. I have supper to make. People to care about. Decisions and responsibilities.“But that I would be sitting here this afternoon reading my own letter, published on January 25, 1959 — 66 years ago almost to the day — things like that make me smile back at God. Today I’m really grinning!She later added, “I just checked my receipt email. I placed this order on January 25, exactly the same date of this issue! The odds of that issue showing up in a random group, all surprises, but why?” She concluded, “My take-away? God doesn’t do ‘cute’ momentary things to cheer me up. God makes something lasting, something truly beautiful from ordinary things ro renew, challenge and sustain me. It’s hard, steady, loving work again and again.” After the restless, dissatisfied morning, she ended the day grinning. Heeg posted her coincidence on Facebook and sent me a letter about her discovery in the Sunday School papers I found and posted thinking to myself, “someone might want them.” Her letter made my day with its reminder that God said He will be with us…and occasionally we get a little reminder that He is very near.