#YesIDO God can use you

I must admit, I have been in a confused place in my life. This is a time of transition for me. I have been praying for purpose, for calling. Crying out to God to lead me in the right direction. After being on disability for so long I'm ready to move on with my life. I still don't have the answers but I'm getting there. In our online Bible study this week one of the blog topics is "What exactly do you have to offer?" This morning in the grocery store God answered that question for me.

I was picking up a few things for supper for a woman in our congregation who just had her second child. She is a sweet wonderful young lady and a blessing to know. In any event I got to the checkout and the woman in front of me could not get her discount card to work. She didn't have the card but was using her phone number and the computer just wouldn't recognize it, despite the fact that she had just used her phone number when she came into the store in the coupon machine. I offered for her to use mine but the register wouldn't allow her to use her coupons unless they matched the rewards account she used to print them. As she and the cashier continued to try, a gentleman she knew came over and they had a brief conversation. I overheard and could tell someone in her family was sick; something told me they were waiting for an organ transplant. As her friend walked away, the register finally accepted her phone number.

Then she wrote a check for her groceries and the register would not accept the check. As the cashier kept trying I knew I had to speak to this woman, so I told her I couldn't help but overhear and asked was someone in her family waiting for an organ transplant. She replied that her husband is awaiting a liver transplant and he couldn't wait much longer. So I felt compelled to share with her the story of my daughter, Kristina's Thanksgiving miracle. You see, 12 years ago, Kristina was dying. She was born with a rare liver disease and needed a liver transplant. She was in intensive care and at 5 months she weighed a whopping 8 lbs. All of our immediate family had undergone testing and no one was a suitable donor so she would have to receive a cadaveric liver and soon; she was so weak and sick surgeons stated if we didn't have a donor soon they would not perform the transplant due to the difficulty of recovery.

Thanksgiving morning we got the call that they had a donor liver. Surgeons flew in a helicopter to a hospital in Kentucky to retrieve the organ while Kristina was prepped for surgery. That afternoon she was in the operating room with 3 world renowned surgeons performing her transplant surgery. They said it would take 6-8 hours to complete the surgery; it only took 4 hours. They said she wouldn't go home from the hospital for at least 4 weeks; she was home in less than 3. She had some complications but 12 years later she is still with us; making us laugh and ready with a hug for everyone who comes in our home.

I shared the "short version" of our Thanksgiving miracle with the lady in the checkout line. Her eyes welled up with tears of hope for her husband. She said she couldn't wait to get home and tell him about our brief exchange. This was truly a reminder that God is in control and Jesus is still in the miracle business. During this bible study we have inventoried our gifts and what we have to offer. I am still uncertain about how God is going to use me or the direction He is leading me but this small exchange in the grocery store reminds me that no matter where I am or what I'm struggling with God can use me. I got home and realized I forgot a couple of things that were on my list. I'm assuming the Holy Spirit led me to the right register at the right time for this woman and I'm so very thankful.

No matter where you are or what you're struggling with, God can use you. He is still in control if we only trust, believe, and choose to see it. Kristina's transplant is only one of so many miracles I have seen in my life not to mention the lives of others. I was not saved at the time Kristina had her transplant, I was a non-practicing Catholic. Jesus truly came to save the lost and He still does. Even more amazing God used something as tragic as the death of a child to give life to others. Thankful to his parents who listened to that small voice on Thanksgiving 12 years ago and made the decision for their precious child to be an organ donor. Praying for guidance and strength to keep moving forward to wherever God is leading.