God promises to take care of us and supply our needs. He showed me that when my little bird flew away in the fall and came back. He took care of this little creature and me as we had asked Him. Just to make sure I got that lesson, He repeated it, when Little Boy was swept out the door one stormy winter morning. Sure enough, the little guy came back after an hour. I had thought he was toast, or crow food. So I have had a lot of experience with God's provision and I really shouldn't worry anymore. The kids and I have been studying James and we just read something interesting. Temptations are not from God. Any temptations we are experiencing are because we want what we want and not what God has given us. Very simple. All good things come from above. Stay with me here, I am getting to the point.
 |
| Our little haven |
On Sunday I thought God was answering one of my prayers. A couple from church approached us and offered us their place to stay at. They are in the process of selling it and they wanted us to be able to use it because they thought it would help us while we were up here. I was so thankful. Here we were going to have a kitchen, I was going to be able to make more nutritional meals than the ones I had been making. A shower every day, what a luxury. Not to mention a fire place to get nice and toasty and enjoy some fun with the kids. We left the property rather late. This place is in NH, just over the border about 45-50 minutes away. When we finally got there, in the middle of nowhere, it was dark and cold and wet and I was really praising God. We entered and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. This was not a little place. It was an old colonial house with 3 stories. The kids took an hour to explore their surroundings. Wow, the kitchen alone is as big as my home in Bristol. As Tom was stoking the fire, making the place nice and warm I was finding room after room with the kids. There were games, a TV with DVD and VCR, and movies to go along with it. The beds looked heavenly and there were enough for each of us to choose one for one day and a different one the next. The whole place was well decorated. We got ourselves ready and as the downstairs heated up, we decided to sleep in the family room, because the heat was not really getting upstairs. So we got blankets and pulled out the couch for Tom, Logan and myself. The older kids grabbed the recliners. As the night settled over us, we heard: click, click, click click, whimper, click.... The dog was not comfy. He couldn't find a good spot. Him being a short haired pointer meant that he gets cold quickly. He was a little cold and wanted to sleep with Sean. No chance. Also the heat was, well, let's just say it wasn't really cutting it. We were cold, the dog kept us up and well it was just kind of uncomfortable. At 2 in the morning Tom got up and shivered his way to the stove which was now out. He started the fire again and the dog wanted to rest with him in front of the warmth. By three Tom was struggling to have a warm fire so I took over and actually got the thing going well. Chet settled down very nicely, finally. By five I was bone tired and went back to bed, getting up every half hour to stoke the fire. Tom came out and slept in front of the fire. That was the night and as we all roused ourselves in the morning, the sun was already up. It was a windy but nice day. We were getting things in order, washing up and things like that, when I decided to call my friend Sharon and tell her about this really cool house. Tom was busy talking to Tasha and asked me to go into the other room. So I went, leaving the hall door open. The hall leads to the rest of the house and we had kept it shut to keep the heat downstairs as well as the dog. With the door open, Chet was free to sniff around upstairs. As I was talking I was assaulted by a pungent, and not very welcome smell. Yup, my lovely dog had left a package on the upstairs carpet. I was mortified and cleaned it up right away.
At this time it was 11 in the morning. We had had no breakfast because I thought we were going back very early but with the cleaning up and Chet's present, we just didn't make it. We had a 50 min drive back. Tom made an executive decision that we were not going to stay at the house any more. I seconded it, very reluctantly. I kept telling Tom that it would get better the next day. I began to wonder why God would give us this beautiful place and then take it away. I got my answer that night, as we were sitting snugly in our 10 by10, reading together and hanging out, having fun. I had all I needed and wanted. I didn't need a big house, and my tribulation came when I coveted after what I really didn't need. That is when that verse out of James struck me. So often we overlook what is right in front of us and want bigger and better things. That is when things go wrong for us. I am really glad I am beginning to understand this. I hope that in the future I will be happy with what I have been given, and not strive for bigger and better things. The kids and I are studying what it means to be grateful. It is so much more than being thankful. It is making known to God and others in how they have benefited me. I am grateful to God for giving me a family, and a shed. I am thankful to the wonderful brother and sister in the Lord who provided this lesson for me. It is very dear and precious and I hope that when I am put into this kind of situation again, I will be able to stand up before a righteous God with the correct actions.
Have a great day, and thank God for what He has given you right now.
Anne
No comments:
Post a Comment