More than “Crossed” Paths
So many are sad over the holidays because loved ones have passed. If you or someone you know, needs reassurance, read this amazing story of divine connection and confirmation. This story is one of those stories like the movie God’s Not Dead, where all the characters are interwoven by the Commander in Chief, God (YHWH) Himself. This life is not it, and God is very real. He is also the great comforter to those that mourn.
I will take you back about 9 months or longer. I was helping a Single Mother of 4, she was struggling. I had planned to go to the grocery store to take food over to her house, as the pantry was empty and so was the bank. On my way home, I debated for a bit on should I stop into the community center to get the bread. I can afford to buy the bread, but why should I? The thought in my head said, “Oh girl, just stop get the free bread, you can get the rest at Walmart.”
So I pulled into the Jonestown Community Center to get bread. The kids were with me so they went into the library; they are friends with Barbara the librarian.
Inside the library was a local man, named Larry, who makes crosses by hand out of rock. He was telling Barbara that the Holy Spirit told him that day, he was to give a rock cross that he had in his backpack to someone. He just didn’t know who.
With “daily bread” in hand for the struggling mom, I rounded the corner outside and was about to enter the library. Barbara spotted me outside the window and pointed and said, “It is Shea, you are supposed to give the rock cross to Shea. “
When I came into the library, I greeted Barbara and Larry. He’s quite a character and soon began telling me testimony after testimony about how these crosses have impacted people’s lives. I listened mesmerized to all his “God Wink” stories.
One of the stories he told was quite amazing. He spoke of a man who came to his house one night. The man told Larry that he had held a grudge against his mother for some time, and he was ready to forgive. Larry was a stranger to this man, but felt led to gift one of his carved crosses. The man’s mother lived next door to Larry.
The man so touched and moved by how forgiveness had completed him, so moved by a stranger, Larry, who gave him a hand carved cross, that he wrote a beautiful post on Facebook about the impact of forgiving his Mother after years of estrangement.
The irony, is that less than a month after his Facebook post, this man went to heaven to be with the Lord, as a result of a falling asleep while working as a tow truck driver.
As Larry was telling me this story, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and showed me the forgiveness post from Facebook. I was so taken back by the beautiful story of forgiveness. I was in awe of how God brought this man to forgiveness shortly before he passed from this world to the next. This story compelled me to ask Barbara, the librarian, if I could make a copy of the story. She of course said yes.
I made a copy of this letter, folded it neatly and have been carrying it with me in my wallet. As we wrapped up the stories, Larry pulled out a hand carved cross and gave it to me. He told me the Holy Spirit wanted me to have it. I insisted that Larry take some money for it, but I was so touched that I finally got one of these crosses I had heard so much about.
Now, Let jump forward in time 11 months to November of 2015. The Lord had laid on my heart to celebrate Hanukkah this year, because Jesus celebrate it. I loved that Jesus (Yeshua) announced to the world he was the son of God on this special feast.
I have prayed often and hard over if I should sell or donate some of my Christmas stuff. I had mixed feelings about letting go. After much research and prayer, I felt confirmed that God was leading down this new path and a biblical way of celebrating the Father and his only begotten son, Jesus. (Yeshua)
As an obedient child, or at least I am fighting daily to be, I decided to sell a lot of my Christmas stuff and give the proceeds to charity, in fact, Larry the “cross guy” was on my list to give too.
So I placed a bunch of Christmas stuff on a Lago Vista Yard Sale Facebook page. Immediately, God started bringing people to me that I never would have met otherwise.
When Gaby came into my house, she was very weak from her hospital stay the previous week. Her precious granddaughter clinged closely to her, not wanting to let go. The week before, this grandma went to get a flu shot and a pneumonia shot which had a terrible reaction with her lung disease medicine. She had a heart attack, and she was very upset because now her heart was only working at a very low percentage.
She shared her story, and I could tell by her eyes, speech and body language, she was really shaken by all that had transpired. I asked her if she would like me to pray for her. She welcomed the prayers and seemed to be very comfortable because her son in law was a Youth Minister.
At this point, I took out my anointing oil and prayed. I hugged them all when they left, feeling that God brought her to my door step.
The next lady, Serena, that came to the house was a few days later. When she came inside, she sat on the high barstools in the kitchen, and she began to open up to me about her dread for the holidays; her deep grief over her brother passing in February in an accident. He was a tow truck driver and feel asleep.
She was emotional, as she explained that it had been a rough year with two other close and young friends dying. Three deaths total in one year is a lot for one person to take. As she talked, I felt an instant connection, I could feel that the Holy Spirit had brought her to me too. What are the chances of all these people who are struggling coming to my house?
As she spoke, I could feel her heart, her tenderness. Just being around her I wanted to help her and to give her a bunch of my Christmas stuff. She was so lovable and kind hearted. I sensed that she spends a lot of time taking care of others, more than she takes care of herself. I just wanted to love her and help make this holiday special.
I jumped off the stool and told her to follow me upstairs to my storage closet. The connection was instant, God had led her to me I just knew it. I could feel it.
Once In the storage closet, I looked at her and said, “I really think you are supposed to be here Serena. I think God sent you.”
I told her, “Earlier this week a woman came who had a heart attack after taking a flu and pneumonia shot. I felt like she was led here too.”
Serena said, “That’s weird, one of my good friends Gaby had that exact thing happen last week, and I spent last week by her side at the hospital.”
I said, “Serena, Gaby was here this week. I prayed over her. “
We both just stood in the long narrow storage closet in awe at how Gaby, her friend had come to my house earlier that week. Really strange. What are the chances?
When we came downstairs, I started talking about how my Dad and I had been estranged for 11 years and forgave each other before he passed. Serena and I started talking about forgiveness.
We sat down on the sofa and Serena began talk more about her brother and his story of forgiveness.
She said that her brother was mad at their mom for many years over a lot of pain around addiction problems. She explained that her brother was a tow truck driver and when her mom’s car broke down she had no other choice but to call him for help. I’m still not putting the stories together yet. Larry’s story and Serena story. I was still completely clueless at this point.
She said her brother decided to help the estranged mom and forgive her. Her brother went over to the mom’s house that night. In fact, her friend in Jonestown who makes crosses, who lives next to their mom, had given him a cross that night he forgave his Mother.
At this point, I stopped her. I actually yelled out, “It’s Larry! I know your brothers story. I have been carrying your brother’s story in my wallet for 10 months or so. Serena, God brought you here today. What are the chances of you knowing Gaby? What are the chances of me carrying your brother’s forgiveness letter in my purse? Look, (pointing to the rock cross he gave me) that’s Larry’s cross he gave me when he gave me your brother’s letter! You are supposed to be here! God is here right now. Your brother wants you to know he is okay, and Heaven is for REAL girl, for real! God is for real!”
At this point, it was surreal. You could feel that something amazing and Godly just happened. God had connected Gaby to Serena, Gaby to me, Larry to Serena’s brother, Serena to Larry and Larry to me and Serena to me. All the paths crossed and interconnected were written like a Hollywood movie.
The air in the room at that moment was different. You could feel that something amazing was going on. Sometime amazing just happened. Serena just got heavenly confirmation and so did I.
At this point, I felt prompted to pray for her. I anointed her, and I prayed out loud for her. The prayer was so emotional. I could feel God’s amazing love for Serena. He knew her pain, and he knows her tender loving, caregiver heart. He made this connection to move her towards Him.
When we came out of the prayer, we were both emotional. It was almost like we had an out of body experience with the divine connections. We walked towards the counter top, I handed her a tissue.
I looked at her and said, “Here’s what we are going to do. I’m going to give you this forty three dollars back for the stuff you wanted to buy. I want you take the $43.00 to Larry. I was going to give him the money anyway, and you too are going to have a moment together. “
She said, “Are you sure? “
I said, “Yes, I am very sure. “
It was amazing. As soon as Serena left, I ran to get her brother’s letter and took a picture of it. I texted it to her reminding her that God was in this! He is very real. These connections could never have happened by chance.
Maybe an hour later the phone rang, and I heard a voice that said, “Shea, this is Larry, the cross guy.”
We talked about how amazing this was that all these paths were interconnecting, and then he went onto to tell me why this $43.00 that Serena just handed him felt like a million dollars. He had been in a bicycle accident the day before. He spent the entire day before in the hospital and spent his last dime on a prescriptions. He didn’t have a cent to his name until Serena came and blessed him with the money.
Wow! God really has perfect timing!
I felt like God was also speaking to me, confirming that he was pleased with my sacrifice, my pursuit of doing as Jesus did by worshipping this season in a new way, in a way that Jesus himself worshipped the Father. I also felt so excited and blessed that I could be a vessel that brought God’s love and comfort to Serena just prior to all the holidays, even before Thanksgiving. I love that he could use my love for Him, as a platform to share His love with others.
As a follow up, in early December, I went over to Serena’s house. I made her a wreath for her door from all my holiday décor. She told me that after she left my house in November, she went to her Aunt’s house and just cried. That God incident at my house was a game changer for her.
She told me she had never been a religious or spiritual person, but she is now led to go to church with her Aunt and elderly Grandpa.
I looked into her sweet eyes and I said, “Serena, God knows your heart. You care for your aging Grandpa every day. You visit people all the time in the hospital. You have such a giving and loving heart, He loves you. He wants a relationship with you. He sent you to me so He could show you He loves you and confirming to you God is real and that this life isn’t it.”
So not only was I confirmed that what I’m doing is pleasing to God, but God used my obedience to love and comfort Serena and others, in what could have been a very depressing time of year. The third family that God brought me husband has only 3 months to live. This will most likely be their last Christmas together. Any doubts I had on my new journey to imitate Yeshua, were put to rest. I was brought to tears and how he would use this experience to bring others into His loving arms.
God is the great connector. He also knows exactly when we are to depart from this life into the next. He knew us even before we were conceived. He guides us every day, and he has a divine plan for each of us. We may not always understand or even feel comfortable with His plan, but as my Grandma used to say, “He Maketh No Mistakes.” He comforts us and sends comforters just when we need it.
These connections of people were not by chance. It was by God. It was so perfectly written that it could make for an excellent movie.
So if you are struggling, if you are missing a loved one that has gone on, remember that the bible tells us that if you are a true believer, follower, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Never forget that God loves you and does not want you to be sad. In fact, in the bible says “the day of death better than the day of birth.” Ecclesiastes 7:1 Why? Because being in Heaven is much better, being with the Father & his Son is much better!
He wants you to embrace life and remember that a beautiful eternal life awaits all those who have faith, put their trust in Him and strive to please Him during this short earthly venture.
This story also reminds us to forgive or to ask for forgiveness now, use this holiday season to reconcile, humble yourself, accept the apology and start the New Year off free and in alignment with Yeshua’s instructions to forgive. Thank you Father for this incredible story, WE FEEL YOU!
Our Eternal Dwelling: 2 Corinthians 5: 8 …7for we walk by faith, not by sight– 8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.…
Luke 6: 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Dewey’s Letter shortly before his death:
Tonight life as i know has changed all for the good peace has finally reached out n slapped me, it’s nice. It all started with a phone call from my sisterSerena Cosgrove who i love dearly. Due to her call i was able to set aside my deep long time grudges i was hold on to and anyone who knows me, knows they were painfully deep. I want to thank my sister for i feel so much at ease i feel so relieved it’s really kinda scary, for once i set those evil grudges aside it opened my mind n made me realize just how hurtful n painful they were n not really to anyone but me. We all make mistakes in life but thats just it there mistakes as long as we learn from them n grow mentally and spirituality from them we become a true soul n have peace which is such a relief. We as humans don’t forget the thing that happen but we do have the free will of choice to forgive. We all must do this. I did this tonight and wow it’s amazing and not but a few breath moments later a man/ stranger with a similar past as mine i found out gives me this beautiful cross wanting nothing in return other then for me to be free of pain n we began to exchange history wow just amazing. I wish to thank this man who carves these by hand n makes a living off of it been surviving for years by changing his ways n forgiveness n having the patients to do this beautiful work with his bare hands n after meeting with me felt i needed a bit of guidance. Thank u sir. Tonight my life has changed i have forgiving all grudges n am at peace. I am happy with life. Please share the photo and if u ever get a chance to be near Jonestown Tx give me a call so i can introduce u to this man. Thank u all family n friends i love u all and hope with prayer that one day u all r at peace with one self.