I’m committed to ‘rejoice in the Lord always’, in the midst of the chaos. I want to share with you what we experienced just yesterday afternoon.
First, while opening a new checking account for oldest daughter, our new bank has a ‘buy back’ program where they purchase from you all your old check pads and debit card from your former bank. In the end, 15 unexpected dollars was deposited into her new account. $15 is quite a bit to a sixteen year old.
Then, my sweet neighbor, whose husband works for a local television station, gave us tickets to see the Shriner’s Circus this Friday night. This gift has many layers that I’ll be unpacking for days. My little people don’t remember ever seeing a circus, dancing daughter loves the circus and my daddy was a Shriner Clown. This is not only a treat for my children, but it’s a happy for my own heart. I think God’s work of redeeming and restoring is daily and eternal.
And we ended the day with this episode. D has been asking for a chicken sandwich for days. He’s really been missing college brother lately and they used to go to Zaxby’s together on ‘brother man dates’. I know I don’t have the extra money right now for eating out. I do keep a box of loose change in my car & I planned on getting D and Mimi a ½ price drink at Sonic while driving dancing daughter to class. It just so happened that my little people didn’t ride with me, they played at my neighbor’s house. I was thinking, ‘Whew, they’ll forget about our Sonic drinks and I just saved $2’.
An hour later, Husband , Mimi and I take D to soccer practice, then we decide that we can find a few dollars and get them a burger & chicken sandwich for dinner between soccer and picking up Sara at dance. So at 7 o’clock we pull into Sonic and Rob begins ordering. A route 44 Sprite we can all share, a hamburger with no pickles for Mimi (her favorite), a chicken sandwich from the dollar menu for D, and a large fry for them to share. The Sonic guy laughs with Husband while taking our order and says he appreciates Husband’s thinking & says he’ll do us a favor and personally deliver our food to us. While we’re waiting, we being counting out quarters from my change box and dollars in Husband’s wallet and our Sonic guy comes out carrying the tray of food in the air like a pizza man. As he hands Husband the food, he says dinner’s on him tonight. We were speechless! This longwinded family was without words. Not because of this strangers kindness, but because of God’s provision. God bought a chicken sandwich for my baby boy and served my Mimi her favorite Sonic hamburger with no pickles! The God of the universe knew the desire of a 5 year olds heart and his love of French fries & God, their Heavenly Father, paid what I could not.
He does hover over us. I caught a glimpse of Him last night. I tasted His goodness. Five of my family in a leaky suburban ate dinner at His table last night.
As Husband finished off D’s mangled leftovers, he referred to it as his ‘manna and quail’. I really hope he wasn’t insinuating we’d be in this place for the next 40 years…
We love you all dearly. Be encouraged. We are.
“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You.” ~Psalm 63.3
