God Provides (Part 39584): The Gift Cards

I mentioned that a few weeks ago I was able to go home and see my family. While there, my mom showed me a gift card she had received in the mail from dELiA's, a retailer I used to buy clothes from ALL the time. The letter said we had a credit with the company, and here was our gift card! I was shocked, mostly because the last time I bought something from them was AT LEAST 8 years ago. EIGHT YEARS! How could it be? But it was.

Then my hospital, who typically throws a large "holiday" party, decided to forgo the festivities and just give us all $50 gift cards. Fine with me!

So. Yesterday, the biggest shopping day of the year, I left my house armed with the two said gift cards on a mission to buy my Christmas presents. My first stop was at the dELiA's store in the Lakeline Mall, about 10 minutes from my house. I could've used the gift card online, but when it comes to buying clothes, I need to see and touch them before I buy them. On my way to the mall, I realized one important thing:

I hate malls.

With a passion. Something about the ridiculousness that is parking, the amount of people, their lack of awareness that they're standing in the middle of the passageway, and the sheer chaos of so many voices and flashing lights makes me want to run away. I would much prefer to go on a weekday in the afternoon when no one is there, but seeing as I work, that's not possible. So I scouted out the best parking spot I could find, made several mental notes of where I entered the building (JCPenny's, by the UT athletic wear, go up the escalator, take a left, in the mall), and began my search for dELiA's. Once entering the store I realized that I was probably the oldest person in there, including the manager.

The clothes resembled a cheaper version of American Eagle, and I set to work with my critical eye, trying to discern what, if anything, I could wear. I finally settled on a dressy tank top for me (need something for Christmas services) and a short-sleeved sweater for Meaghan. I tried both on, made my purchase, and made a beeline for the exit.

And then I breathed! It was over! After stopping at 1/2 Price Books, I had completed most of my shopping. I felt relieved that I had braved the crowds, but most importantly that I didn't have to spend any of my own money!

As evidenced by last week, the LORD has been showing me so faithfully that He provides ALL my needs, including Christmas presents. I have no idea why, 8 years later, dELiA's decided I needed $60, but the LORD did. And it's just beautiful because it is SO CLEAR that it was Him who provided. There is no rational explanation, and I love it!

The LORD provides!