God hangs out at Target

Target is my safe place. I know that on any given day I can go there with my tribe, which consists of a three year old, a two year old and a nine month old baby, and not look a fool to at least half the people in the store. It's likely that I will have to deal with approximately 2 tantrums, 1 toddler meltdown, 2 potty breaks and 10 things being pulled off the shelf. And I don't care. Usually. Because the other half of the people in the store are moms or dads who are dealing with or have dealt with the same exact craziness that I am. As the saying goes, I'm in good company.

Like most moms of littles, I try to plan my trips around mealtime and naptime but there are days when you just gotta go when you gotta go. Such was the case a few days ago. I had some errands to run in the morning which meant we would be near a Target and there were a few things I had to pick up that couldn't wait. So I braved it-at lunchtime, which is also naptime. So yeah, it was interesting. My crazy sweet kids did pretty well, considering. Even still I found myself doing the familiar dance of trying to catch my three year old who was dashing towards the nearest Disney princess toy display while scooping up my tantrum-throwing two year old off the floor and pushing the cart which was holding my screaming baby. That's all. No big deal (sarcasm).

Thankfully, this particular day God filled me with a sense of peace and patience that I don't always have. It was simply a gift from Him that in the midst of a stressful, chaotic moment I was able to be calm, patient and loving to my little ones.
 
It was still nuts though. And apparently others noticed.
 
Twice throughout the store people stopped to help me. Both times something had dropped or been thrown out of the cart and they were kind enough to pick the stuff up and jog to catch me and return the item. These small acts of kindness don't seem like much but to an overwhelmed, sleep deprived mom it was a huge help. I was grateful and would have been beyond thankful with just that.
 
But it get's better...
 
Nothing short of a miracle, I survived the checkout lane with only one unwanted purchase snuck onto the counter (thank you Charlotte, I'm sure we'll enjoy our lovely new LED flashlight). I grabbed some napkins and headed for the food court seating area right next to Starbucks. Just as I was starting to give my girls their lunch, I heard a soft women's voice saying, " I know this is weird but can I buy your coffee? What would you like?" Wow. Really? God you are amazing. This woman walked away and stood in line to buy me a hot drink. She didn't get anything for herself. Just me. When she came back smiling and handing me a cup of hot chai tea she commented that she understood where I was at because she was about 13 years ahead of me. She told me I was doing a great job. I was teary eyed and thanked her for blessing my day that way. All I could do when she walked away was praise God for the way He shows up when we least expect it and in the most unexpected ways. I felt like He was gifting me with the reminder of how He is present in the midst of a crazy moment-a crazy life-and that He loves us and sees us and knows us. He desires to bless us. I didn't deserve that sweet woman to buy my coffee but God's grace, His love, it knows nothing of what we deserve. Wrapping us in his endless mercy is just who he is.
 
It seems small but the best way I can describe it is to say that I felt like God was taking care of me, picking up the pieces. Showing me once again that when things are hard, and there are a lot of hard things right now, He is holding it together. I don't have to. Even on my best day, I can't. It's all in His hands. Even at Target.
 
I love that the God of the universe hangs out at Target. I love that He doesn't choose certain parts of our lives to be present for but ignore the other parts. He is with us always. When we're getting coffee, when we're in our cars, when we're at the DMV, when we're at the hospital, when we're alone at home, when we're running, when we're hiding, he is always there. Waiting to hang out, to talk to us, to bless us, to love on us.
 
God comes to Target with us. I just love that. I just love how present He is.
 
Be blessed today by the God of Target.
 
Chels