Stress can be a big factor in everyone's life and can oftentimes lead to health problems and health complications. Recently I had a chance to experience first hand the effects of stress and the danger of trying to do to much at one time. One of the challenges that I've had recently is finding a coffee pot that works. It seems that every coffee pot that I get either quits working, works for a short time and then stops working or some of the parts comes up missing and the pot become uneven. Although Walmart is not considered to be one of the upper class stores to shop in it's one of my favorite stores. Last Friday I decided would be the day that I took my last non working coffee pot back to walmart. It just happened to be lightly raining, or so I thought...I invited my dad to join me on the trip to Walmart and set off to accomplish my purpose of taking the coffee pot back and getting another one. Easy enough right?

I attempted to get out of the car, and the winds started to blow stronger than any wind that I had every experienced,the rain begin to pour down. I had an umbrella in one hand and the coffee pot in another hand. A Walmart clerk stood and watched me as if to say, I am wondering just how she is going to do this with all of the elements working against her? Determined to accomplish my purpose, I proceed to walk into Walmart with the wind and the rain beating against my face,my hair and my clothes. I walked as far as I could with my hands full and I was strong enough to oppose the winds and the rain that were trying to deter me from going into Walmart to accomplish my purpose. At this point the Walmart clerk continued to watch me because she was intrigued by my persistence and my unrelenting will to accomplish what I set out to do. Although God didn't stop the storm from trying to deter my purpose, He did have a provision planted just for me at just the right time. Just when I thought I couldn't go any further, within less than 15 feet from me stood an abandoned shopping cart that had been just left on the curb empty. I grabbed the cart, placed the coffee pot in the cart and fought the elements of the rain and the wind and went into the store to make my exchange.

I looked back the store clerk stood in amazement by the look on her face that I had made it to the shopping cart to place the coffee pot in it.Although the shopping cart was in sight when I set out to accomplish my purpose, I was so far away from it when I first started into the store, to even attempt to go the distance to reach it was quite a feat. The clerk was watching to see if I would quit and give up and not accomplish my purpose because of the bad storm. I went on into the store with all of the elements working against me anyway and exchanged the coffee pot and got one that really works very well. Unfortunately for me when I came out of the store the storm was worst than when I went in. I had a buggy of groceries, a new working coffee pot that I was trying not to get wet, and this time there were a crowd of people watching me battle the even stronger winds, the harder rain and my car was shaking from side to side from the strongness of the winds.

I couldn't get the trunk of the car to stay up, I got soaking wet along with all of my goods, but I was determined that because I had set a goal, a plan and a purpose, nothing would deter me from either achieving my goals or completing my goals. The umbrella flew up and almost broke I saw the crowd of people still watching me, some in their cars, and some standing inside the store,at that precise moment it occurred to me,how many times do people just quit when they are so close to their breakthrough or their breakthrough provision? How many times does the strong winds, the unfavorable weather conditions or the unfavorable circumstances deter many from reaching or accomplishing their goals?Wouldn't it have been easier to either turn around or just not go into the store after I had already made the trip there?Couldn't I just do the exchange later?

It's the same way when God gives you a burning desire inside to achieve or accomplish something. Although you may have problems, although you may be experiencing lack, although you don't have everything that you need to accomplish your goals, and although you still can't get some things to work right,all you know is that you have a burning desire in you that compels you to go in spite of it all, do it in spite of it all,accomplish it all in spite of it all and even though you might experience some discomfort along the way,some letdowns along the way, and some setbacks along the way, all you know is that in the end the result that you obtained or the result that you hope to obtain makes the journey no matter how bumpy, or uncertain the road is all worthwhile. Did I let stress get me down and complicate my health?Of course not, I opened up my new coffee pot, I laughed it off and enjoyed being wet without having to go swimming!

By the way, this coffee pot works great!

Go with God and follow your burning desire,
~Evangelist Wendy Evans