All the things I have to do Like Noah’s ark march two by two A never ending laundry list of tasks cry out not to be missed Each one vies for my attention Hopes at least for honorable mention A daily contest: who will win Dishes? Dust? or Three children?
In the midst of this commotion Comes a balm, a magic potion Seeping to my very core Something that will peace restore In chapter 3 of Lamentation A promise that will end frustration I have hope, I’m not consumed The days loom large but I’m not doomed
With morning’s light hail mercies new Compassions from my God debut Faithful Father, One I need Daily for Your help I plead Please, this raging storm abate Seeking you my soul doth wait. Peace descends ~ still much to do But now I know that I have You.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”
I know God cares about me. I am blessed in so many undeserved ways I can’t even keep track but every once in a while God sends an extra little reminder. A gift that only He could know I wanted and that only He could orchestrate so perfectly.
Last year on my birthday Will gave me a knife … a really nice (read: expensive) one. For many wives that might rank right up there with vacuum but I was delighted because it was the first quality knife I’d ever owned and it made such a difference in my cooking experience. After using it for about a week I knew I wanted the whole set. Unfortunately the price tag meant it was either buy knives or pay the mortgage. It was a tough call but “roof over our heads” won.
Fast forward to yesterday evening, I’m chopping an onion with my still brilliantly sharp birthday present and think to myself, ” You know, self, you don’t really need the whole set. All you really need is this one and a good Chef’s knife. …. but even that isn’t in the budget right now … oh well, maybe next year.”
Forward again to tonight, Will watches the kids while I find myself wandering about TJ Maxx, a store I have never entered before. I walked in on a whim and walked out with this:
Maybe you can’t tell because the picture quality is not that great BUT it’s a knife … a chef’s knife and more than that it is an exact match to the birthday present that I like so much. Apparently, TJ Maxx is one of those closeout stores and apparently, they were closing out Calphalon Chef’s knives because this was the sticker on the box.
On Friday a piece of my tire started to come off on the highway. It was a very small piece and besides a terrible clunking nothing disastrous came of it. That is to say nothing happened on the highway. Later at the tire shop, looking at the bill for four brand new tires — because of course they all had to be replaced — with a nauseous sort of sinking feeling that had nothing to do with pregnancy I knew that something disastrous had happened indeed.
The remaining day, I filled with sniffles and sobs and “every time we start to get ahead…”. It was quite pathetic really. Not until the next morning did the pitifulness start to wear off and it occurred to me that perhaps, just perhaps, it would be okay. I am a child of the King after all and He’s always worked things out well in the past. In fact, He’s never failed me in my whole life - though I can think of countless times I have failed Him.
So on Friday I spent $755 on tires and on Saturday afternoon not long after I finally decided to trust God the mailman arrived with a $700 check - the return on an investment made so long ago I had given up on its ever coming.
When will I learn that He knows my every need? He knows and He plans for them far in advance. He is never, ever surprised and He is always on time.
Really a person should ask for help every day because there is just no way of knowing what the day might throw at you. Or in my case what might come flying off the back of some truck in the midst of five o’clock traffic, bounce directly in front of you, fly to the other lane, hit another car and bounce back to the exact middle of your lane leaving you no room avoid it and, clipping along at a good 60mph, no chance of stopping in time. Did I mention there were 3 small children in the car with me? And yet … and yet … help came. Despite the lack of room and the speed, somehow this thing only managed to hit my side view mirror and somehow the big steel pole that was part of the apparatus did not come through my windshield and somehow my car does not have a scratch on it. Somehow.
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer …
For the past three-ish years we’ve lived in a basement, a 700 sq ft apt., a metal building/garage and this house.
Each of these in turn adequately met our needs and from each of location we took some nugget of knowledge that helped us mature spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Moving again means more growth I know, but I can only stand in awe at the means the Lord has chosen this time. I am blown away by His thoughtfulness and gracious blessing.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Considering the speed of light (299792.458 km/s) and that it takes approximately 50 bajillion years for light traveling at said speed to go the distance from the nearest star to Earth, can you imagine the planning it took to insure that the Star of Bethlehem’s** appearance coincided with a single baby’s birth?
Sort of puts a whole new spin on Jeremiah 29:11.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Heather over at Untraditional Home wrote this line while describing how her family celebrated the Fourth.
“And catching lightening bugs with uncle James.”
This made me think of our own celebration. We helped put on a huge party at my parent’s house. When it was over and I asked Sister what she liked best about the evening she immediate replied, “catching fireflies”. I smile still at her answer. It was not the sparklers, nor the mounds of food savory and sweet; not even the bajillion fireworks but the fireflies that lingered in her memory. Makes me think of that verse about the lilies.
“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Luke 12:27 (NKJ)
Nothing compares to our God and His marvelous creations. Nothing.
Almost every weekend from Fall 1994 to Spring of ‘96, found me traveling home from college and back again. Those three hours of total drive time became a meeting place for me and God. Alone, without fear of what others might think, I found it easy to converse with my Creator. Many of those conversations turned to song. I would find myself praising His goodness and grace with lyrics I had never heard sung elsewhere. I always thought, “I should write this down when I get a chance.” But invariably the chance never came or if it did the words would be long gone having floated away with the melody.
Several weeks ago as I drove across town, contemplating the morning’s devotion, a song came unbidden to my lips. It had been so long since the Lord spoke to me in this way that I didn’t even consider stopping to write the words down. I simply basked in the marvel of the music. “Still,” I thought later, “it would be nice to have at least one of these songs written down.”
Fast forward a week or two. It is early and I am sitting in my devotion chair with my Bible opened and my notebook ready. But I am not reading. I am not praying. I am only reveling in the silence of our home and the blessed life I have been granted when the melody begins…
ever practical and slightly crunchy; the wife of my best friend and the mother of three incredible little teachers. Each day we explore our world and when there is time I come here to share our discoveries with you. My name is Toni. Thanks for stopping by.
