His Precious Thoughts

{This is in relations to my 'Walk By Faith, Not By Sight' post}
   Today I was reminded of how the Lord truly does think of me.
  The idea of being thought of by someone is something that would make anyone happy. The thought of someone taking that moment to lay aside any self-concerns or self-seeking thoughts or taking a moment in the middle of a busy day to wonder how someone other than themselves is doing in life, says a lot about a person. It reflects that they take action in being selfless and be considerate to wonder how a friend is doing. When we're not with someone or communicating with them through other ways, it's hard to know how they are truly doing and let's face it: How often do you think of the people who mean the most to you during the day? For me, it's occasionally. And everyday is different. Sometimes a specific person will randomly pop in my head and sometimes that person isn't thought of again for weeks.
   How I see it is that God places others in my thoughts because He knows what that person is going through at that specific moment he brings that name to mind. How I deal with these people coming to mind? I've taken the response to praying for them. Recently I've had the most random people from way back in my past that have popped into my head and I wonder, "Hmm, what are they up to in life these days? Where are they living? I wonder how they're doing." I've learned that God has brought these people to mind because He knows what is going on in their life and need prayer. I have this desire to become a Prayer Warrior and I feel so privileged that God would allow someone to come to mind because He knows I will take the time to pray for them. I'll be honest, sometimes I don't pray because I just don't think about it. I'm trying to get into the habit of saying a prayer for the names that pop into my mind. Every once in awhile I will either leave a note, right a message or e-mail or text and let that special person that came to mind know that I was thinking of the. How encouraging and uplifting it is to hear those words.

   Yesterday I learned that I did not get a spot in the Nursing programme I had applied for for this spring semester. I had been anticipating this moment to hear what my final status would be and had even begun to expect that I had not made it just to prepare myself. As disappointed as I am at this delay in my pursue towards Nursing, I know that God has a reason for this delay. It can be hard to trust that everything is going to work out for the best, but I know deep in my heart that everything truly will work out for the best. Maybe the Lord has specific people He wants me to encounter this semester; maybe He has plans to use me in ways He wouldn't be able to use me if I were in the programme; maybe I'm suppose to learn something from my classes this semester that will benefit my future; maybe my focuses will be different compared to what they might have been if I were in the programme; maybe it's to grow me in my relationship with the Lord. The list goes on.
   This morning I woke up and was still a little upset and even discouraged about where I was at and the delay I'm encountering. I had some things to get done before I got started with my online course this morning. I needed to print off some assignments as well as get one of my books ordered from the OTC bookstore. I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to the library to print papers first or to get my book ordered. I decided to head to OTC to get that taken care of.
   All morning I had been talking to God and just asking for guidance and strength and joy before heading out. I pulled into the OTC parking lot, parked my car and got out to head inside. As I was walking towards the building a gentleman was walking towards me. As we got closer he made the comment, "So much for warm weather!" I responded with, "I know, right?" We had almost passed each other when I realised that this man was the Nurse I had job shadowed in the ER last March! I stopped, called him by name and we started chatting. Although he recognised me, I reminded him of how we knew each other. It was just for a short two minutes that we chatted, but in that time I informed him that he was the person who impacted my life and encouraged me in my journey to becoming a Nurse and that I thought of him often! He was touched to hear that.
   It's funny how little decisions will cause a certain outcome. If I had not gone to OTC before the library, I would not have come into contact with this man. Would God have used a different approach to remind me that He was thinking of me while at the library? I don't know. All I know is it was absolutely amazing that this man, that made a difference in my life and that I had not seen for almost a year and had no way of contacting him, was all of a sudden placed in front of me. On my journey this last year I know that God allowed me to job shadow this specific Nurse so that I could stay on the path He has planned for me. God used this man in my life to get me to where He has me today. I honestly feel like that was God saying, "Kelland, I'm thinking of you." It was also very encouraging as it made me remember that passion and those feelings I had while job shadowing in the hospital. It made me remember why I was pursuing the medical field. It was a reminder that God has not left me alone in this situations and is not making me try to figure things out for myself, but is with me in this journey.
  My heart smiled at the sight of physically seeing God think of me and to take that moment to inform me He was thinking of me. He thinks of each one of us every second of the day and it's hard to comprehend that as well as remember it, but in moments like these it's such a beautiful reminder of who God is and how much He loves us.

"How precious are Your thoughts about me, O, God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them. They outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!"
Psalm 139:17,18
[Verse 17 has been my favourite verse for years now. How beautiful it has been to see God think of me.]