For several years now, pre COVID, I have met with my girlfriends on Wednesday mornings for “coffee.” Two years into our weekly meetings, one of us came to the group and said that she felt God had laid on her heart to organize a family night of Praise during the Yakima Valley Fair and Rodeo week. As she laid out the vision we each fell into line to use what ever gifts we had to make her event successful. After all, that is what friends do, right? And, we have that kind of friendship.
This coming August would have been our fourth year. With each new year, we found, while we learned a lot the year before, each event was new. New people to team up with, new challenges. New topics, etc. Each new year we found ourselves waiting on God to direct our paths. It was something we often laughed about, cried about, but became really good at just saying, when others questioned what we were doing, “We don’t know, yet.” Every time, God showed up and didn’t disappoint.
This year started out just like any other, us waiting. God was quiet. And, He remained quiet. We determined early on that we would not take one step, no matter the outside pressure, without hearing from HIM. And, we didn’t.
Today the official word came down that the Yakima Valley Fair and Rodeo, like so many others, had been cancelled. As I read the notification, I felt sad. Sad for the athletes that wouldn’t get to compete in the rodeo, sorry for the stock contractors that wouldn’t get paid, sorry for the families whose kids worked so hard on their animals and don’t get to show them. Sad, over the breaking of tradition for our small rural communities that so look forward to this event… but, in the sadness I also felt….. wonder.
I have been a christian for the best part of my life. But, I struggle. Not with the big picture stuff. But rather with the intimate stuff. For example, do I believe that God loves mankind… absolutely. The struggle comes when I have to break it down to, does He love ME. Know ME. Care about how hard life can be on me sometimes. Look, I know the answer is YES, all I am saying is that I struggle with that reality sometimes.
As I was reading about the cancellation of the fair.. and how we girls had purposed to not make a move without being clear about what GOD wanted from us… I was struck by the realization that He knew this is where we would find ourselves. In the middle of phase 1 of COVID and “social distancing.” I believe he also knew the “HARD” this year was bringing to all our lives.
All of my coffee girls are committed to our families. We always put them first. And we honor that in each other. Sometimes that means some of us do the “heavy lifting” with our events while the other is right where they should be… taking care of their kids, or husbands, or extended family or even themselves… We are all very busy ladies. It wasn’t wasted on me that God didn’t waste our time or talent preparing for an event He knew wasn’t going to happen this year.
Our lives would have been so much harder had we gone ahead and moved forward in our own abilities. We could have. We are all talented and capable. But we would have been a mess. Spinning and juggling plates that God never meant for us to spin and juggle.
I miss my girls. Yet, I have discovered that what makes us strong, and what makes us work, we are a unique blend of personalities, is the time we all take to have Coffee with Jesus. And we bring that experience to our Wednesday Coffee.
A Cowgirl Called 