In the Details

Yesterday, I made the comment to Kinley's daycare teacher that I had to get to the grocery store because I "had no food in the house."    Now, I think we can all admit that we've made that comment as a bit of an exaggeration.   I had plenty of food at home.  Yes, I did need some milk and a few other things, but no one was going to starve if I didn't get to the store in the next few days.   Her teacher, the mother of three school age boys nodded her head in agreement and smiled.  She then proceeded to tell me that she wasn't sure what she was going to feed her boys that morning for breakfast until someone blessed them with a box of food items left on their porch the day before.  In that moment I didn't know whether to cry or throw up.  This woman who has lovingly taken care of all three of my kids at some point over the past eight years does not always have money to feed her kids.  As I listened she told me that her husband has two jobs but in the winter he doesn't always get steady work. 

I left that morning and drove to SAMS club of all places.  I filled my cart and let good about the fact that my pantry would be stocked for the upcoming winter break.  But all the while the conversation I had just been part of weighed on my heart.  Even after I got home and shared the story with my mom, my heart just ached for this family.  I didn't know what I was meant to do.  Should I get them a gift card and maybe put it in with the teacher gift I had already planned? I decided to text a friend and simply asked her to pray for this family and pray that God would reveal what or how He wanted this to play out.   

A few hours later I got a call from my friend.  She said, " I won't keep you long but I wanted to let you know that I talked to some people....we are going to use all the food collected at this weekends Happy Birthday Jesus party to give to the family you asked me to pray for."   I was speechless.  I still am speechless.  I spoke to the daycare director this morning who is going to help me play sexret Santa.   We had a wonderful conversation centered around just how much bigger God can make things and how he is in all the details.   I am so excited that this family will have a well stocked kitchen over their winter break and hopefully a nice Christmas dinner also.   I pray that they will be blessed by this gift that God has put into motion   But I think that I have been equally blessed by simply watching God work and meet needs and by the very good friends that I have who are always there and willing to pray on my behalf.