A Sunset to Comfort Us All

I grew up playing competitive basketball beginning in 3rd grade and continued on throughout my senior year of high school. In doing so, I traveled to various locations throughout a regional area where our school was located. You came to grow up in a sense with the kids you played ball with although attending different schools. You came to know the coaches, administrators, etc along the way. When I was in junior high I also competed at a state level in free throw competitions which took me out to some other places sometimes further north than I was used to traveling, and further west in Oklahoma. Often times I had traveled with my parents to numerous locations as well growing up as we would watch our high school basketball teams compete, or other teams at times as they would go to state play-offs. So many memories associated with so many places, and people. As the years went on, I found myself in far southern Oklahoma, and other places attending basketball camps, to playing AAU basketball as far out west as Yukon. When I became a teacher, it only seemed to add to the places, faces, down in my heart, and also add a love of a community I would be teaching in. Oklahoma was in my heart; the people, the places. And, I didn't realize how much so until March 2014.

My husband and I had been a part of the ministry here at Water of Life for a few years now, he longer than I, but we would attend when it was right, and travel to Texas, or Missouri and other locations depending on when or where the ministry would be going. In 2006, my husband began leading the Water of Life Oklahoma Church, and Doyle and others here from Water of Life in Plano, Texas would attend there as God directed. In March of 2014, I was in my 14th year of teaching and going on spring break. Anthony and I had driven to Plano, to once again attend the church services. Shortly after returning home to Oklahoma, we believed it was right to begin attending each weekend, so, each weekend we began driving to Texas and attending the services at Water of Life, on Sunday mornings, and evenings, and afterwards making the 4 to 41/2 hour drive home.

There came a Sunday morning as we were heading out to church, and leaving the hotel that I had turned to close the door to our room. Immediately something within my heart seemed to turn, as if something were changing. I later told Anthony about it, and mentioning how it seemed as if God has his finger right in my belly, in my heart, stirring around and changing my heart. I didn’t really understand it, but I sure didn’t forget that morning at that door.  It wasn't long before it seemed as if God might be moving us to Plano, Texas.

There became times as we continued driving each weekend in April and on into May, I would just weep, sometimes hard, I wasn't hurt or sad, but I would just weep. I finally said, to Anthony one day while driving to Texas that I believed it had to do with Oklahoma. I hadn’t realized up until then how much that place was in my heart, how much I loved it, loved all the places, and loved the people. I said to Anthony, “How can a person love a state so much?!” It seemed so ridiculous to me. But that's what continued to happen.

There was something though I would come to find comfort in, something I remembered from when I was about seven or eight. My grandmother was from Texas. And, as a young girl, I would at times travel with her to see my great-grandmother here in Texas. I never told one person, but from that time on, up until I was 23 years old, and graduating college, I would say to myself, "One day you're moving to Texas." I had had a desire to be here since the 80's, a desire I now believe God put in my heart, but how God got me here was certainly not the way or process I thought it would be.

On the evening of Friday, October 23, 2015 my heart just seemed to hurt. I found myself that evening again weeping from deep down, and memories of certain places coming up in my heart regarding Oklahoma. I have said over time now when this comes up that I believe it is just God purging things out of my heart, so that it can be filled up with more of the Kingdom of God.

As the next morning rolled in, at 10:00 a.m. in Stillwater, Oklahoma a tragedy occurred killing and injuring children and adults during a parade for the University. A place that I had attended a handful of times, and a place that since a young age had hoped to attend college. It was clear it shook the community, and others in the state of Oklahoma. I got on Facebook later that evening and a picture went up. It was a beautiful picture of a sunset. One of my most favorite things was setting at the window that faced west of my parents' home watching the sun go down in the evenings. So when this picture went up, I noticed it was a beautiful sunset that night. I found comfort in it. As I kept scrolling, my newsfeed began to quickly fill up with numerous pictures of the sunset that evening. It really was incredible, the colors; the pictures continued coming in from all over the state of Oklahoma of the sky that night, and people recognizing that it was God who had brought forth such colors, and such a sunset. God had comforted so many, including me in my own life, just by how he had painted the sky that night for us all. It was simply the goodness of the Lord, and I thank Him for it.

Psalm 27: 13 - 14

13: I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14: Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.