Fame was my friend this week.
I know, whose fame, right?
What I mean is, because someone knew who I was through my writing and therefore was willing to trust me, I was able to act as Jesus’ love with skin on it.
When I was a girl, I dreamed of one day becoming a famous singer. Like Amy Grant. I sang into my hairbrush and entertained my lined-up Barbies and tone deaf dog for hours on end.
Then one fateful day I discovered the shocking fact that I could not sing. At least not at famous singer level. At best I was an enthusiastic joyful-noiser.
So that dream bit the dust. Hard. Amy I was not. [sniff]
But Little Debbie I was. There must be something else for me.
Then one day, decades later, I realized that Papa God was calling me to write. It was okay that I wasn’t at famous writer level – skill wasn’t required. Only diligence. He just wanted me to show up with a teaspoon of talent and a boatload of willingness; to put my bum in the chair and words on paper. I was the pen but He was the ink.
So I did.
And fifteen years later – just this week – I learned that by His amazing grace (and a bonified series of MIRACLES), 1.3 million books have now sold in the Too Blessed to be Stressed series. Just. WOW. Never thought I’d see that milestone in my lifetime.
The book numbers are totally awesome (all glory be to Papa God!!!), but even more awesome is that because of the books, I was able to help someone in need this week. Here’s how it went down.
I was exiting my neighborhood, as usual completely lost in thought (my daughter stays annoyed at me because every time she passes me on the road, I never see her or the kids with their horn beeping and arms flailing wildly to get my attention).
Hey, what can I say? I’m an intense driver. (Actually – don’t tell anybody – as soon as I get in a car by myself, I fly far, far away to a magical place where I can daydream to my heart’s content without interruption.)
So just as I was turning right onto the main road, I vaguely noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a figure trudging along the side of the road near the ditch. Maybe even IN the ditch. But because it was a warm, sunny day, I had my passenger window down and as I accelerated to enter traffic, I heard my name.
“Debora Coty? Is that you, Debora Coty?”
Well, THAT got my attention. Yes Lord, here I am.
No. Wait. It wasn’t the Almighty beckoning me like young Samuel in the Temple. The woman in the ditch was calling my name.
I slammed on my brakes and pulled over. I didn’t recognize her. She plodded over and wearily leaned into my window, sweat glistening on her brow.
“Say, aren’t you Debora Coty, the author?” she asked, panting the words. She looked like she was about to drop. “I thought I recognized you. I read your books. I’d heard you might live around here somewhere. And wow. Here you are.”
It turned out that she, too, lived nearby and her car had run out of gas. She’d already walked over a mile back toward her house from where her car died and still had another mile and a half to go. She wondered if she could use my phone to call her son to come and get her; her cell battery was completely drained.
Of course I loaned her my phone, but I also invited her to climb in my car … which she did because we were no longer strangers. Nope. By a little preordained orchestration by Papa God, I was an author she knew and trusted and she was a reader-friend I was happy to go the extra mile for.
I drove her back to her house where she grabbed a gas can and then we met her son at her disabled car down the road a piece, all the while talking a mile a minute to each other.
New old friends.
So cool. It’s an inexpressible joy to be used of the Lord in everyday scenarios.
But you already know that, don’t you? Because it happens to you, too. And your loving community of BBFFs (Blessed Blog Friends Forever) right here would love to hear about it. Share with us, won’t you, a time when you knew heavenly forces had prearranged a meeting for you to act as Jesus’ hands and feet here on earth.
P.S. New Mother’s Day Giveaway just posted today! Take a gander at the prize package for this one … all you have to do to enter is share a few sentences about your fave mom (doesn’t have to be your real mom) and what she’s meant to you; photos always welcome. Just click on “Freebies” at DeboraCoty.com and look for the Mother’s Day Giveaway for details. And win, win, win!
