How are you, my friend? I hope you’re enjoying this amazing Autumn season. The trees in my neighborhood seem to be conspiring to keep their greenery as long as possible. Only today have a seen the slightest paling of their leaves. I’m looking forward to an explosion of color

Earlier this week I had the privilege of entertaining two wise women from opposite coasts as guests in my home. I’d met them online at a volunteer function. The East Coast lady I’d seen many times in online meetings. The face of the One from California, I’d never seen and only knew her by the sound of her voice.

These ladies were on the final legs of a 183-city tour after being on the road for 30+ days. Monday I got a text message when they were leaving Chicago and driving through Indiana. There would be stops along their way to my city in Ohio. Due to the nature of their tour, I didn’t have a firm ETA, but planned for midnight. If they arrived sooner, all the better.

I’d planned a huge feast ending with dessert, which I rarely make except for dinners of such high importance. They were looking forward to it. We couldn’t have been more excited to meet in person, especially the woman I’ll refer to as, The Voice.

It was like meeting cherished friends. Well into our visit, The Voice shared a story about an interaction she’d had with the Spirit of Truth.

The Voice has been through some difficulties which had set her back fifteen thousand dollars. And now she sat at her desk surrounded by stacks of past due bills. She had my attention right away when I heard what he asked her.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes, I trust you,” she answered.

“Write out the checks to cover these bills,” The Spirit of Truth said.

“But I don’t have the money in the bank to cover those checks.”

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Yes sir.”

I once wrote out all the checks at the beginning of a month anticipating paychecks over the following weeks. As those came in, the envelopes were dated for when they needed to go out. You thinking what I’m thinking? That the checks she wrote will sit on her desk until cash comes from somewhere and she’ll pay each bill as it trickles in. No. The Spirit of Truth had a different plan.

“Go to the post office and mail them all out.”

Are. You. Kidding. It’s one thing if you do that accidentally, like I did. After a day or two, I forgot I was waiting for money to come in and mailed all the bills out at once. Banks and utility companies frown on bounced checks. Everyone knows this. And The Voice knew this too. It’s one thing if you mistakenly do it (even though they still hit you with NSF fees.) When you intentionally mail checks with no money in the bank to cover them, it’s a crime.

“But if I can’t cover the checks, they’ll throw me in jail!” she said.

“Do you trust me?” asked the Spirit of Truth.

How trustworthy is the voice you may be hearing in your head? Enough to mail out fifteen thousand dollars in checks? The Voice really trusted that she was hearing from the Spirit of Truth. And she dropped each one in the mailbox. I just shudder. Maybe it’s because I remember how ruthless bill collectors can be. How painful bank fees and late fees are.

After that, she asked, “Do I wait for them to come for me, or do I go to turn myself in?”

The Spirit of Truth directed her to go to her post office box. Inside, she found a little envelope. Inside it was a note.

I just sold my house, and I wanted to send you a check. The amount of the check: $18,000. Enough to cover the checks she wrote and then some.

“Go to the bank,” The Spirit of Truth said. When she got inside, she asked to see a bank manager. After exchanging pleasantries, they went into the bank managers office. The Voice slid the check across the bank managers desk.

“Is this real?”

The bank manager verified the check which was promptly deposited. The Voice said to her, “I have a kind of weird situation, so let me tell you the rest of the story.” and she shared with her all that I just shared with you. The Bank Manager was still sitting across from her, weeping.

“Are you alright?” The Voice asked.

“Yes. Let me tell you the rest of the story. Last night I said, God if you are real, show me a miracle!”

The night after The Voice me this story I didn’t sleep all night. I stayed up writing down everything I could remember that she and the other wise woman had shared with me. This post is actually late today because I was so wiped out yesterday from their visit. But last night a shift happened. I feel more alive than I have in years and I knew I had to share this with you.

The winds of change are upon us, friend. In what do you put your trust? Would you trust it enough to mail out 15k in checks? Who do you call on when you need big help? If you’ve got a story about trusting something bigger than yourself, I’d love to hear about it in the comments box.

Until we meet again, be safe, keep warm, and know that you are loved.