Coronavirus: Blessings in Disguise

At 7:30 a.m. this morning, I found myself standing in the rain and cold with 60 other people lined up down the sidewalk of Target (10 feet apart to observe social distancing), waiting for them to open.  On a tip from my boss' wife, I decided to try an early-morning trip to the store for emergency supplies.  She had told us that Target gets a shipment in every morning, but that people are lined up to storm in and purchase everything the minute that they opened.  And that was exactly what happened today.  Luckily, God had put it on my heart to skip breakfast and just go directly to the store, so I found myself number 15 in line and in a prime spot to get what I needed, which was a lot.

At exactly 8:00 a.m., the doors opened and it was like a mini Black Friday as people quickly rushed into the store, grabbed a basket, and headed for the "limited items" aisle to systematically wipe out the shelves.  To Target's credit, they did a fantastic job of handling the chaos:  with someone directing traffic on the sidewalk; two people sliding empty shopping carts to the waiting hands, so people didn't have to break stride; and people at the end of every aisle ushering people along, keeping the peace, and limiting people to the correct number of items.  I had worked out a plan to hit the Clorox wipes, paper towels, and facial tissues first; before heading to the toilet paper aisle.  This kept me from immediately getting stuck in the crowd and getting jostled and touched by the unreasonable masses.  But it also allowed me to load up on the more limited items first and ensure that I was able to get them.  I eventually got toilet paper too, there was plenty for everyone; and baby wipes; and milk.  Getting everything on my list except diapers.  They had some, but not the right size.  While I was there, I decided to grab a few more items we needed, carting away from the chaos to the less-traveled aisles.

As I believed, God provided everything we needed to wait out this storm for a few more weeks.  I wasn't expecting to get up this morning and head to Target.  It was a spontaneous gesture that paid off.  To continue the blessings, my boss texted me a couple of hours later to say that he'd found our diapers in the exact size we needed.  I had casually mentioned to him on Friday that we were having a hard time finding toilet paper and diapers, and remembering that, he'd gone to his own Target to see if he could find something for me.  I have no words for something like this.  Definitely unexpected and above and beyond.  If he had any thought of buying my loyalty (which I don't think was on his mind at all), then he secured it with this act of kindness.  It's amazing to see God move through so many people to be loved and supported through a time like this.  And that's why I don't doubt Him or that He's going to take care of us.  Because He always comes through in unexpected ways with blessings in disguise.