When God winks

Has God ever given you a little wink?

I am from a very small town in Indiana, called Spencer. The population has hovered around 2,000 for as long as I can remember. It is the kind of town where you can live there 50 years but if you weren’t born there, you don’t feel like you can say you are really from there. I fit the necessary qualifications to be “from there”. My Dad went to High School there, my mother grew up there, and I grew up there (until I was 14).

When I was home recently, I discovered an old high school yearbook of my grandfather from Spencer where it included a story of a spontaneous field trip to the center of population of the United States. The entire senior class piled into 3 cars along with their teacher. It turned out that they didn’t have too far to go because there was a beech tree in the countryside of Spencer that marked the spot. In fact, I just discovered that the mascot of Spencer, which was the “cops” stood for the “Center of Population Spencer”. I had no idea. It’s pretty amazing that this tiny little town was once considered the center of anything - no offense to the sweet people of the this midwestern town.

Every ten years, a new center of population is identified, so technically Spencer was only the center of population for ten years (1920-1930). Gradually, the population center travels west over the years, which makes sense. But, guess what? It turns out that the center of population from 1970-1980 was Mascoutah, Illinois which happens to be where my husband grew up! This is another small town of a very similar size to Spencer.

Come on…what are the odds that we both grew up in small towns that BOTH happened to be the center of population for the entire country at one point in time? That’s crazy. It was a fun and exciting discovery that felt like a little wink from God.

Moments like these make me feel like God really sees me. It reminds me that the details matter to God and he is in control. He weaves our stories together in a beautiful and purposeful tapestry.

I am thankful for a God that is so big that he knows each hair on our head. That each one of us matter to him, down to the latest census.

Can you remember a time you received a wink from God? How did it make you feel?

How quick are you to connect God to everything going on in the world around you?

Do you believe God can do anything and that his purposes will be fulfilled down to the smallest detail? If not, what is holding you back?

Scripture

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11