Finding Jesus at Trader Joe's

Have you ever been out somewhere, say shopping, and something speaks to your heart out from the seemingly ordinary places and things that surround you?  You may be thinking, "No, this never happens to me, I think your crazy."  If this is you, humor me for a second and maybe you will start finding Jesus in a seemingly ordinary place as well (especially if you shop at Trader Joe's)!

Today I stopped into Trader Joe's after an appointment really quick to pick up a few items.  As I was taking in the smell of the beautiful fresh flowers that they have and sampling their delicious hot coffee I had a thought pop into my head.  What if this seemingly ordinary little stop into the store was an opportunity for God to show me His tender love for me.  God knows all the little things that I love, that spark an instant joy in my heart at the sight and smell of them.  What if God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that I would be close to this store after going to an appointment and that I would stop in.  He may have thought that he could give me some comforts to take away with me while at this store.  He must know that the little dark chocolate with mixed roasted nuts would be just the thing to bring me a smile today.  What if God designed for this store and my appointment to be close by each other before this store was ever built or I would ever have an appointment- just for the day that I would stop in and enjoy a walk through to lift my spirits.

I truly believe that everything that surrounds us has been hand-picked by God.  Either He has designed for these things to be surrounding you in your day or He has permitted them to be there, with His permissive will, for your holiness or for your good in some way.  Nothing is by accident if we think about it.  Today, just by taking in the beauty of fresh cut flowers, this little joy was by design.  God designed for this little moment of joy to happen way before I even knew I needed that moment.

God wants to show each of us, in every moment of the day, how much He loves us and wants our good.  He even wants to show all of us how he cares about our particular likes and tastes.  He wants to show you that he cares about the smallest details in your life, right down to the gluten-free granola bars that you like to have on hand for a quick snack.

He knows you, every part of you, because He loves you.

Take a moment to reflect on the ordinary things that surround you today, or the next time you are doing one of your ordinary things that you do.  Take a moment to ponder, "Did Jesus want to show His love for me in this ordinary thing today?" I'm most certain that the answer will be "Yes!"


 If you can think of a time that you saw Jesus’ hand in something ordinary, comment on it below!  We would love to read about it.  Or Click here and share your story in the comment box.