How God Works with Guest Alexis A. Goring

I moved to the Midwest years ago to take my first big break in Journalism. I worked for a small-town newspaper that covered news countywide. I enjoyed all of the people I met while covering story events. I liked the details of everyday life such as how at the gas station, the attendant pumps your gas for you every single time or how the workers at the grocery store were so helpful and nice. Most of all, I loved the fresh mountain air and breathtaking scenery.

However, my stay in the Midwest did not last too long—I arrived in late-Autumn and took a one-way flight home just in time for Christmas. The classic song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” has a whole new meaning for me since then and my experience in the Midwest, while wonderful, gave me a whole new appreciation for the city life and being home surrounded by family and friends who’ve known me forever.

God taught me a lesson on faith while I was in the Midwest, many lessons in fact but one of my favorites was in what God did with my fully furnished, beautifully decorated apartment that my mom—who took off time from work to help me relocate—and I bought from the city which was a one-hour drive away from where I lived. We spent more than a thousand dollars making my little apartment beautiful, cozy and warm.

So when it was time to return home, I only had a few days after my last day of work to pack up and take care of business matters. I was not able to sell the furniture or get reimbursed for anything I bought to furnish my apartment.  Needless to say, I was upset because I’d spent so much money and it looked like it was wasted.

But with God, nothing is wasted. So on the morning of my flight, I said goodbye to my apartment an every item essential to daily living that filled it, left the keys to my place on the kitchen counter and locked the door behind me. Fast forward to a few months after I had settled into my original home, I called my landlord who owned the apartment house I had lived in during my time it he Midwest and inquired about what happened to all of the items I had to leave behind.

My landlord told me that not too long after I took my flight home, there were newlyweds who just arrived in town and could not afford to buy a place to live much less furnish an apartment. They could only afford to pay rent. So my former landlord offered my fully furnished apartment for the newlyweds and they took it.

Now the funny thing is, my mom was right. My mom was the only person who was not upset about “losing” all of that money spent on furnishing the apartment. She told me, “Maybe God knows someone else needs it.” Since this happened at Christmastime, I felt like God used my mom and I to give a practical and beautiful Christmas gift to well-deserving people in need. Ultimately, I believe God used my situation to bless someone else and it made me feel good and gave me insight into how God works.

God can work in your life just as He’s worked in mine. Just trust Him. He’s a good Heavenly Father and He’s always watching out for His children. The Bible says the Lord takes care of the sparrows and He will take care of you (Matthew 6:26-34)! So be encouraged to know God is always working behind the scenes for you and will work everything out for your good (Romans 8:28).

Alexis A. Goring is a college graduate with a degree in print journalism from Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. Writing is her passion. She hopes that her stories will touch hearts, bring smiles to faces, and inspire minds to seek God whose love for humanity is unfailing. Alexis loves connecting with her readers! Follow Alexis on Twitter @pennedbyalex, “Like” her Author page on Facebook, visit her official website, and read her blog, “God is Love”.