
Some time ago when I was talking to my little daughter Eila so she told me a story.
- Mom, it was a man who had fallen in the water. He prayed to God to be saved. A boat came by and wanted to pick up the man, but the man replied that he would be saved by God. And then there came a helicopter. They celebrated down a ladder and wanted to save the man. But the man refused to be rescued saying that he would be saved by God. In the end, the man drowned and he met God. The man asked accusingly God why God had not come to save him. God answered:
-First So I sent a boat, but you did not want to be picked up and then I sent a helicopter, but you did not want my help then either.
When Eila had told his story, I wondered in my own mind if it was I who had originally told this to her because it is one of my favorite stories. I believe that God is with each of us every second and I think that God in very acts by other people. It may mean that we ask for something, thinking about something, need help with something, and then it pops up a fellow human being who answers even prayers, thoughts or what you need help with. The person providing your answers to prayers do not need to be a member of the same church as you, or even believers. It might as well be a Christer Sturmark. God works through all people.
Last Sunday, I met an elderly female member of the Church. She actually belongs Utby Assembly, but because we belonging Frölunda parish now goes Utby ward when our chapel renovated so it happens quite often that we Frolunda Members encounter Utbymedlemmar. I myself have sometimes gone to their meeting times and sometimes I see some little utbybo going on our meeting times.
Anyway, I went to the elderly female member and regretted the sorrow when her former husband had recently gone away. We began to talk about her divorce and how her life had become when she suddenly told me that she had long wanted to talk to me. I was a little surprised, because we really do not know each other directly, but she is an older sister from the neighbors whom I have encountered a few times and changed a few words. But she said she had known that she would go to me saying that I had to move on to life. I just understood what she meant by her words and felt amazed at how God had just spoken to me through this sister.
Sometimes God also speaks to us through the scriptures. We, as members of the Church believe in personal revelation for our lives. Sometimes the revelation come when we read the scriptures. Just over a week ago, I was in the temple in Stockholm. In anticipation of a session, so I sat down in the temple's entrance vestibule, picked an outsourced Bible and began to read. Randomly I started reading in Luke. Then suddenly a scripture for me as I never have considered.
"Master! Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. " Jesus said to him, "Man, who made me the arbiter between you?"Then he said to them: "Make sure your guard against all kinds of greed for life is not about the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12: 13-15)
Since I am currently doing a probate and dread over it so it felt like a direct address from God.
When you are in the temple you always meet interesting people who you may never have met before and probably never meet again. Some of the best talks I have had during these meetings. In recent times, I have shouted a lot about my relationship with my former. man, my child's asperger diagnosis and my mother who was a skater. collector. Especially now that you are in a lifetime, I think so much later. Perhaps it was that God understood that I needed someone to just hug my thoughts in the temple, so I met a beautiful woman, we could call her "Karin", who was there as temple servant. It turned out that both she and I are separate and we started talking relationships. The first Karin says is that "it would have been so wonderful if you had met someone who could join an elder mission." I just felt "ouch" and told me that I just thought so. Otherwise, I think that both her and I have a good and active life.
When I came home from the temple so I sought Karin's fb friendship. It is not the first time I meet someone in the temple which I then become fb friends with. It was not long before it was a small request on fb from Karin if she could sleep over at my place in Gothenburg. She would be on the course outside Gothenburg and thought it would be expensive with the hotel. I wrote back on fb: "can you take cats?" I have three cats at home and it can cause problems for some. I was told that she had two cats and a dog.
So last night, I met Karin at the train. We ate dinner together and we all got to bed right so late. In the morning, I followed her where she would go to meet another classmate she could meet with. Yesterday when the course was over, we were trained again and went out before she would take the train home to Stockholm again. It always feels so nice to have an adult member in the church in his home. We could keep prayer together and it was not just me at home who was an adult. When we talked on, I was amazed at just how Karin and I were. A little trembling, I realized I thought it was a little bit difficult with my ex. Since I have put the children well in the center, I have let him come home to me on Christmas afternoon, Easter afternoon, for dinner in general, etc. Recently, it feels like exet more or less has moved into me and it feels less good. When I pick it up with the kids, they obviously think I'm really crazy because it's their daddy I'm talking about. I can also get this little crazy feeling of "how do I explain this" if I had to start dating again?
It turned out Karin is as weird. She also puts the children's needs at the center. Her children do not want to be with her dad, so their father will come home to them instead. He has no keys to their home. Just to be worse than me, Karin told her that she had gone on vacation together with her ex, the children and exet's new wife. She explained to me that her ex. Men's new wife is from China so she is very tolerant of her husband's former. Madam is always present.
Karin, like me, has a disabled person. Therefore, we began to talk about it and it turned out that Karin's sister's son also has aspergers. We started talking about disabilities in general and then Karin told about his relatives who are collectors. I had not even told her that my mom was a collector. When I was talking to Karin, I became more and more surprised at how much we had in common. When choosing a restaurant, Karin has Indian food as its favorite food like me. We drove off to Three Indies, which is perhaps Gothenburg's best Indian restaurant, but it turned out to be fully booked. Then I wondered if Karin liked vegetarian food. I myself am a vegetarian and in the church we are invited to only eat some meat, but it is a advice that not all members take. However, it was found that Karin does not eat much meat and that both her children are vegetarians. Then we continued through Haga to the restaurant Solrosen and ate our dinner there instead. Solrosen is an old cultural restaurant and perhaps the best vegetarian restaurant in town, except Govindas.
Today, when I write this, I feel so strongly the experience of God's presence in my life. Things that I plagued have answered God through fellow human beings and scriptures. I may not have received a response to what is right or wrong, or an action plan, but life feels much easier and I feel that whatever happens in my life there is always God there and sending a boat or a helicopter.