You Just Never Know How God Is Working

Sometimes God lets us see the other side of a story.

A long time ago, a woman walked into Birkland Boutique and said, “I need a shirt made for someone who looks like they’re struggling really hard in life.”

I asked if she was a friend.

“No,” she said. “I don’t even know her. I just saw her in the school drop-off line.”

She wanted to encourage a stranger.

A Simple Gift

We walked over to the Shirt Bar and looked through a few designs:

Beauty from ashes.

Tell your mountain about your God.

Be still and know.

She chose Be still and know.

I pressed it onto a soft, oversized crewneck, wrapped it in tissue paper, and she left to give it to someone she barely knew.

I remember being so touched by that.

But I had no idea how the story would come full circle.

Almost A Year Later

Nearly a year later, a woman walked into my boutique with her mom.

She started telling me about a gift she had received in the school drop-off line.

It was a soft crewneck that said, “Be still and know.”

I immediately knew.

It was her.

She told me that she has children with special needs and that on that particular day, she was really struggling. She was in the middle of the challenges of motherhood and carrying more than most people could see.

That simple gift had meant the absolute world to her.

And there I stood, almost a year later, getting to hear the rest of the story.

You Never Know What God Is Doing

I left that conversation smiling ear to ear.

Because sometimes we get to see the impact of a small act of kindness, and sometimes we don't.

But God sees it all.

You never know what your encouragement might mean to someone. You never know what a kind word, a thoughtful gift, a prayer, or simply showing up might do in someone's life.

And I love that God chooses to use Birkland Boutique in little moments like this.

It's so much more than clothes and gifts.

Sometimes it's a place where someone finds the perfect gift for a stranger.

Sometimes it's a place where someone finds exactly the encouragement they needed.

And sometimes, I get the incredible gift of watching those two stories meet.

It is so amazing to watch how God works.

So keep showing up. Keep encouraging people. Keep choosing kindness.

You never know what God might do with it.