Isa 43:1 “But now, thus says the Lord, he who created you, o Jacob, He who formed you, “Fear not, for Ihave redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Matthew 6:30 “And if God cares so wonderfully for the lilies, that are here today and gone tomorrow, He will certainly care for you.
Yes, we have moved a lot. Yes, each move has shown me several different aspects of Who God is and how He delights to give good things to us.
This morning, as I was making breakfast, I happened to just glance over to the shelves which are in our kitchen. When we were in Italy and had begun to look for a place to live, through the internet, we knew the area we hoped to be in. Because we were dependent upon some friends of ours to check out any place that looked like it might be a possibility, we began the search, knowing that if this was where we were to be, God would provide a place. And that He did. We signed the papers via computer after Jack and Dena went and walked us through this place, via Face Time so we could see it (other than just the pictures on the web site) before making a final decision.
We have learned that from each move, we learn certain things to be sure to look for. Actually, some of the places where we lived for a month at a time overseas, reminded me of certain “necessities” such as a garbage disposal or dishwasher or washer/dryer hook ups, (which some of the places we stayed did not have them) that we should always be sure of before deciding. Realizing that most places now have these conveniences, automatically,I didn’t think too much about asking about laundry rooms or microwaves. The area we were interested in was built in the 50’s and 60’s and not your typical new Texas house with large closets or modern kitchens. They have large rooms and lots of character, but not all have built in microwaves or private laundry facilities in each condo. However, ours did have the laundry hookups…but…they were in the kitchen. Never noticed that when we were looking at it on FaceTime. My trade off is I have double ovens, which is actually more important to me than having a separate laundry room. In fact, I have got use to them in the kitchen and used them as extra counter space when needing a place to let dough rise, or cookies cool that leaves me my counter space by the sink. All this to say, that this morning, as I passed by the washer and dryer, as I glanced up at the shelves above them and the shelves opposite them by the fridge, I just stopped for a minute and realized that God is just so precious. Because I am a junkaholic and love to keep and display items which have become so special to me, I love having spaces to put out these different things that have special memories to me. Yes, we have scaled down our living space the last 3 moves which has forced me to “reduce and refine” but there are certain items which are near and dear to my heart that I keep until the kids back up a dumpster when we are gone and throw away everything that didn’t come from Crate & Barrel or Ikea. But that’s for another story.
As I looked at the items sitting on the shelves, I began to think back over some of these and how each one has been such a great reminder of God’s love and provision. He is so good to give us things that might seem so small to others, when in fact, these “small” little blessings are just a great reminder on days when we are in need of remembering how faithful He truly is. I didn’t even think to add “extra space” to exhibit important things to my list of things to ask Him for when we were moving here. But, because He does know our names and the desires of our hearts, we can always trust His heart to know that He wants to give us good things, even when we sometimes don’t think to ask Him.
Today, as I sat down to finish my lesson for tomorrows Bible Study, the author ask us to think of a time, when we sensed God’s presence this week. My answer was…this morning as I looked up at the shelves and could sense Him telling me that He loves me and He knows me by name. AND…He knows I needed shelves so I could have a place to see my sweet memories! That’s our God and He is a Great God. May I always remember that in times of difficulties or circumstances which might tempt me to forget that.
Chocolate Castles 