The Big Gulp Experience

*** This is the devotion I gave for CBS leadership several weeks ago.  Thought I would put it on the blog since this is the first time I have ever written the Big Gulp story and the lessons learned.  Also, our theme this year was; Giving a Cup of Cold Water.  Thus all the cold water references.  Hope you enjoy***

 

Roy and I met working at Pennzoil downtown.  After we married we both went to work for a joint venture auditing firm.  We traveled a lot, some good places Colorado and Connecticut with lots of sightseeing to take in on weekends and then there were the not so good places, like OKC.  I don’t mean to insult anyone who is from there.  One year we spent more time in OKC than we did in Houston. 

Our crazy friend Debbie, who lived in Tulsa, suggested we drive over to Eureka Springs, Arkansas one weekend to see the Passion play.  She thought it would only take four to five hours to get there from the OKC.  There is a reason why I call her my crazy friend Debbie.   About three hours into the trip we begin to realize that this isn’t a four to five hour trip and even though we left in the afternoon there wasn’t any way we would make the play on time.  So we stopped, got gasoline and bought some Big Gulps and try to decide if we were going to go back to boring OKC or if we would adjust our plans and head somewhere else in Arkansas for the weekend.  We decided to adjust our plans and we hit the road once again.  I got behind the wheel and we headed east.  I know this now but back then I didn’t know that Roy is terrible at directions.  He will say right when he means left.  I realized we were on the wrong road thus adding more time to our drive and thus postponing any type of decent arrival time.  We found this little farm road and it would eventually get us to the Interstate we needed.  By this time all the frustrations of this trip, the frustrations of always being in OKC and this new set of frustrations, Roy’s lack of direction.  So it happened, I had a MAJOR meltdown.  I am driving down this narrow road at too high of speeds and I am yelling.  I empathically told Roy when we get back to Houston I am doing to divorce you’re a$$ and take you for everything you’ve got!  We had nothing by the way.  I think I ranted on about other things, ok, I know I ranted about other things.  It really wasn’t Roy I was mad at in hindsight.  I was mad that I didn’t check out the mileage before leaving on this three hour tour, I had been reeled in hook, line and sinker by Debbie, and I wanted to be home.  In the distance I saw this huge tree and I said, “for five cents I would crash into this tree and kill us both”, hey I was just being biblical like Moses and Elijah who asked God to kill them when they were tired and frustrated.  I continued “but no my luck would be that if I crashed the car into the tree I would come out of the wreck unscathed and you would be maimed and I would have to take care of you for the rest of my life, thus defeating the whole purpose of the divorce that is going to happen once we get home.”  Again, I am yelling and driving too fast and that is when it happened.  Roy picked up his Big Gulp of Root Beer and poured in on my head.  That root beer anointed my head and flowed onto my lovely business wear of the early 80’s suit, white blouse and a Kathy Whitmire bow tied underneath the collar of the blouse.  Not unlike Psalm 133;

^1-3 How wonderful, how beautiful,
when brothers and sisters get along!
It’s like costly anointing oil
flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron’s beard,
flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.

Only we weren’t getting along and I didn’t have a beard for the root beer to flow down but like I said previously, Root Beer anointed my head and suit.   After he emptied the Big Gulp on my head Roy asked me, are you done?  Yes, I believe I am and with that we had not one word of conversation until we arrived at the hotel, much later than we wanted to.  We went to the front desk to check in and it was all the clerk could do, to do just that.  I mean really, I am standing there in all my official auditor attire with root beer matted hair (this was in the Farah Facet era with the whole layered and wind look) and wearing a root beer stained blouse and lilac suit like it was an everyday decision.  Once Roy and I got into the room, we just started laughing because it was quite funny the reaction of the clerk to my appearance.   We had a fun weekend and happily, we remain married to this very day. 

God used a Big Gulp to get my attention that day.  It was the beginning of a process and I will add that process didn’t happen overnight, in me.  He used Roy and the Big Gulp to open my eyes to the fact I was heading, no pun intended, down the same road as my father.  I had reacted and acted just like my dad on road trips and truthfully, it could be said I reacted and acted just like my father period.  God’s big cup of cold water!  This Big Gulp got my attention

God can use us to deliver a big cup or a little cup of cold water to one another.  CBS has been a big cup of refreshing water to me.  This is my fourth year and during these four years I’ve been able to study God’s Word, have a lot of fun and God has given me some wonderful friends from this Bible study.  Attending CBS was a HUGE factor in building a house and moving to Katy.  These were little cups of cold water that turned into making a huge cup of cold water.

CBS uses the vernacular of shepherding and calling.  We are called to serve and facilitate those who are in our core groups.  I had made my decision several weeks ago that I would not be returning as a core group leader but just coming as a participant.  My whole decision was based on I wanted my Tuesday mornings back, being tired and I didn’t think I was doing a very good job.  I hadn’t even really prayed about it. I had made my decision being tired and in the chaos of change.  Funny how God used Bev’s devotion, because that morning the same question her friend asked is the same question I sensed the Lord asking me…so what else have you been called to?  OUCH!!!

That Tuesday afternoon after leadership meeting I began cleaning out a drawer.  We are getting ready to rearrange some things in our home and I was cleaning out a drawer to make moving this chest a little easier.  In the drawer I was going through were some pages from a journal written in 2002.  These words written in July 2002 resonated in my spirit and opened my eyes.  I remember that the Luke 10 story of the Good Samaritan really had my attention.  It was little things to care for the man beaten up that made up the whole big picture and lessons of the story.

In my journal from July 26, 2002 I am still in a waiting period because I wanted to stop playing tennis but didn’t have a clue to what I was to do next.  I called this period of life my “frying up fish” season.  I always thought I would just go to another activity after tennis, but I was beginning to sense that life wasn’t about our activities but our callings.  Throughout my life so many have said to me you missed your calling.  You should have been a standup comedian or comedy writer or comedy actress.  That’s not my calling, it is simply one of the few talents that I have.  It’s either talent or acquired survival skills from a difficult childhood.  After reading that journal entry I could see in hindsight what I couldn’t see then. 

A Cup of cold water from 2002 still refreshing and reminding me of God’s calling and gifts in 2013.  .

God’s calling and gifting in my life is in the little things, notes, spoken words, prayer and listening

Kelly Minter, Bible study writer, speaker and teacher, had an interesting blog post several weeks ago; ‘Quiet and Small, It’s OK.’  She writes in the world of BIG, it’s the small things.  Her post was encouraging those of us who are going about the daily business of seeking Jesus and loving others not in front of huge crowds or with thousands of followers on FB, Twitter or blogs but serving in obscurity; serving the Lord by in the quiet, the small and the hidden.  Just like we do here in CBS with women in all stages of life and faithfully guiding children to love the Lord.   “God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable” Roman 11:29.  He doesn’t take back His gifts and calling. 

I know others like Bev; have other places God is calling her to.  Some like Jan, are moving out of Katy.  Others are changing leadership roles and others are stepping down.  The eternal truth of Romans 11:29 doesn’t change, it is our circumstance and situations that change, not our callings.  No matter where we find ourselves, we are to walk in our God given calling and giftings.  Let us all serve cups of cold water wherever God has placed us.

If you find yourself serving with others who lead out of their fear and insecurity, walk in your calling.  If decisions are being made and you have no voice in the outcome, walk in your calling.  If others think you are too serious or dare I say too lighthearted for the work ahead, walk in your calling.  No matter and sometimes it is so hard and you want to turn and go another way, walk in God’s calling.   

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.  Hebrews 6:10

 Because for sure, I know this, you don’t want the Big Gulp experience to get your attention!