encouragement

TUESDAY, January 15th, 2008

Walking in the Light!

I John 1:7: But if we in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Good morning ladies!

I had a late start this morning… more from “laziness” than anything. Anyone else have a morning like that? To top it off, Sarah is in Algebra. Need I say more??

When I came downstairs this morning at 6:30, I didn’t feel so “light”… so I went back to bed. I guess our bodies sometimes “guide us” because I did not feel like getting started this morning. I went back to bed and at 9:00 AM I came downstairs… feeling much better! My hubby opened the front door to let the kitties in for their meal, and noticed a DHL box sitting on the front porch. It was from a Fulfillment center in California!

“Uh Oh.” I thought.

Let me explain…You see, last week I bought some items from Starbucks.com. I had one of my Walgreens Team send me a Starbucks card for Christmas. I had bought two Chai Tea and some Starbucks Caramel Syrup (for homemade Caramel Macchiato! mmm mmm mmm) But they had already been delivered. My first reaction was to check my account to see if my Credit card had been charged. Sure enough, it had been.. but for only $2.45. Somehow my order had gone through twice… and the only thing I was charged on this second order was the shipping and handling. I was so excited! A “TWO-fer!” It was then that my wonderful hubby said, “Karen… you really should call to find out about this.”

Now… we are dealing with “Starbucks” here so I *gasped*. What?? “It wasn’t MY fault.” I told him. And then he said four words that have been haunting me all morning. “I want God’s Blessings.” It was almost as if the Holy Spirit nudged me off my chair….almost like He was saying, “I WAS TRYING to get through to you, KNUCKLE HEAD… but all you had in your mind was FREE STARBUCKS.”

I have to admit, I dialed the Starbucks Customer Service with some reluctance. Thinking about that warm and inviting Chai Tea and that wonderful Caramel Syrup tightly cocooned in that Starbucks box in the other room! But I knew that William was right. (As always!) ?

When I called the number I received a young woman named Laquisha. I explained the situation and told her that I was charged the $2.45 for the second box and not the full amount. She then put me on hold.

I don’t know about you, but I despise being placed on hold. So I sat there listening to this grotesque music, thinking… “Why is it I’m on here this morning?” When Laquisha brought me back off hold, she was very kind. “Ma’am do you still want the items that were sent to you?” Uh oh, I thought… here goes another $25.00. I told her “yes, actually, I would like to keep the box.” She then continued. “Well, my supervisor stated since you had been charged the $2.45 you will not be charged anything else.” REALLY? “yes, really.”

When I hung up the phone I ran into the other room and tore open the box… and there was a duplicate set of items I had ordered from Starbucks… for $2.45! I felt like a little girl at Christmas… and then, I thanked God for my “sweet treat” this morning.

I went into the office to read my Bible before work and felt led to go to I John 1. A very familiar portion of Scripture. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light…we have fellowship one with another…” My hubby was “in the light” this morning… and because of that I obeyed and reaped the benefit. How many times have we “missed the benefits” by not “walking in the light?” A countless multitude of times, I can assure you.

Remember today to “Walk in the Light”… and you’ll be surprised at how “warm” you’ll stay!

Have a “Light-filled” Tuesday, Ladies!

Karen Johnson

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WEDNESDAY