In 2007 we started losing employees at work (over the course of 5 months we lost 2 full-time and 1 half-time... quite a bit for a place that only employed 9 people at the time). The workload was increasing, we were having trouble with our (then) 19-year-old and our church was experiencing some major spiritual warfare.
In October of that year, I was headed up to our parent company in Minneapolis for some training needed as I took on more responsibilities. The 5-hour ride was filled with me rotating between crying, singing (loudly) to my Mercy Me and Casting Crown CDs and praying. The praying melted into begging at times. I asked God to comfort me. I was seeking peace and direction through the stress that was building at work.
The training went well and I headed back to the cottage, about 2 hours east of the Cities. I was looking forward to some solitude... sitting by the campfire... taking pictures... just spending time outside.
It was a beautiful autumn day... blue skies and lots of colors on the trees.
As I got closer to the cottage, the sun was setting. I had my camera out the window taking flash pictures. I liked how the flash reflected off the birch bark, lit up the blazing leaves and even showed off the pines.
As I wound down that gravel road I probably took 20 - 25 pictures.
When I got to the cottage I started looking through the pictures... on the tiny screen on the back of my camera. I got rid of many of the pictures and saved the ones I thought turned out OK. I saved only 5 pictures.
Spent the next afternoon on the ATV trails... taking oodles of pictures. It was a fun and restful weekend. Just what I needed.
When I got home I downloaded the pictures onto the computer.
I was stunned when I discovered what was on one of the few pictures I'd saved from my twilight trip down the gravel road. I couldn't see it on the tiny screen of my camera... I could have just as easily deleted it.
It was God's way of reaching down and giving me a hug. It has become my God’s Speaking picture...
