I just have to throw my head back and laugh in thankful disbelief at the way the last week has played out. Satan keeps throwing us curve balls, forgetting that God already knows where they'll end up!
So, we got Sam, our German Shepherd "pup" (1 yr old), miraculously delivered to our door after the dog catcher had found him roaming our neighborhood streets and had agreed on the phone to meet my dad at our place for no fee at all! This, on the day that I had my spinal tap to discover whether or not I have MS (Multiple Sclerosis)! What a blessing and absolute miracle to NOT have to pay to get Sam out of the pound and/or pay a fine on that day in particular!! God was really looking out for us! (It was a good try Satan, but you forget Who we have on our side!! Strike 1! Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?")
The next day, we found ourselves wishing that the Animal Control officer would have taken Sam to the pound and refused to give him back! While watching a faith-based marriage movie, Calvin and I in the midst of enjoying the sweet story when we were caught off guard as our Netflix suddenly went out! After I spent ten or fifteen minutes on the phone with the technical support lady, trying to understand her English, and messing around uselessly with the internet modem, Calvin walked in the front door, interrupted my non-understandable conversation with the tech support woman with this announcement: "I found the problem." By the look on his face and the fact that he had come from outside, I guessed that the "problem" was Sam. And I was right. He had chewed through the internet cable that ran from the ground to the house! Straightaway, I handed the phone to Calvin so that the techy woman could further help him figure out what to do next. An appointment was set-up for a repair man to come in five days, but the appointment was due to cost us a minimum of $85! Eighty-five dollars that we just didn't have!
The next day, a bill for one of my CT scans came in, which acted to our checkbook like a jackhammer on a sidewalk, taking out a huge chunk of money that hadn't even made it's way from our time-cards to our bank-account! With that bill, the bill from the week before, of a greater amount for my brain MRI, Ella's weighty bill from her swallow therapist, the knowledge that the bill from my hospital stay that resulted from my allergic reaction and stay in the ICU would soon be arriving, and my spinal tap bill....this new bill for the internet was most unwelcome! With a sigh and a heavy heart, Calvin and I just looked at each other and said, "Well, how's God going to work this one out?" We knew He would, so we just sat back and watched to see how He would do it.
Today, the internet repair man came. And today, I had to beg God for forgiveness for having faith less than His provision! I had asked God to work it all out financially, but I didn't know to what magnitude He would do it! I thought maybe He would give us more hours at work or some other unexpected income to pay for the repair, but God is just so much bigger! But before I tell you how God solved the problem, I have to tell you how much the repair-man had to do! The wire was so destroyed outside, that he couldn't repair it! And because the wire fed into our 1920's basement that has been remodeled with new walls, the wire was completely hidden, so he couldn't work on it from the inside. The repair-man had no choice, but to drill a hole into our house and install not only a new wire, but a completely new phone jack! While he was working, Ari gave the man some of the peanut butter/Hershey's kiss cookies that we had baked the day before along with a thank you note that she had crafted especially for him! Once the internet was successfully set-up and we were waiting for our $85 + bill...Ari ran up to the man once again with a brownie on a paper-plate that she had served up herself (you should have seen the brownie pan and the "evidence" of Ariana's having been there!) and handed it to him saying, "thank you for fixing our internet!" It was then, that we learned that the man had fixed everything for not $85 and not the $100 he usually charged for this same repair, but for FREE! Yes, you read that correctly! He charged us nothing! I have no idea why or how or what...maybe Ariana tickled his sweet tooth, or maybe he was just really nice, or maybe, just maybe God nudged him...but no matter how it worked out, it did! I'm just speechless! (God 2 / Satan 0)
Calvin and I are just beyond thankful at what the Lord has done for us this week! The word "thankful" doesn't even begin to scrape the surface of our emotion! God has always provided for us in every circumstance! We may not have the biggest house, best health, newest clothes, but we have everything we need and so much more! God has paid off a 1.5 million dollar baby (and counting) plus a $4000 medical bill that we accrued at the beginning of the year that we initially thought would take us two years to pay off! How can we not trust that now, He will move in amazing and mysterious ways to provide for every single need at just the right time!
It's at financially-tight times like these that I become logically convinced that we are absolutely nuts for pursuing adoption! But then, I am reminded that my sight is limited. I do not see with heavenly eyes. What's that old saying...(perhaps it's Scripture)? God owns the cattle on a thousand hills..? He owns it all! If He has a plan, He has a way! Calvin and I just have to ask for His hand up and walk by faith as He shows us the way! And my oh my, I would prefer no other trail-guide than the great, Almighty Himself, the very One that carved out the trail! Aren't we blessed to have a bit of a cheat...because we are trusting our lives to the Author and Sustainer of the plan! ("For He chose us in him before the creation of the world" Ephesians 1:4)
In regards to my ability to understand God's plan:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD." Isaiah 55:8
He is so much bigger than my measly ability to understand!
And as for our attempts to try and "logically" sort out His call on our lives...well, read these verses (it's a bit of a brain-twister, but worth the effort!):
19 For it is written:
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."
Our best attempts at wisdom are utter foolishness to God! Wow. I cannot fathom His wisdom!
If God can propel a baby to life that had a previous death sentence (Ella), and if He can provide all of the finances (over 1.5 million dollars) to pay for that same child, and if He can send that family with the "sick" child overseas to a third-world country to minister for a year (and provide the $60,000 that the stay required), and if He can provide the money to pay off thousands more dollars of medical bills, return a dog captured by Animal control for free, and install and fix internet at no cost...the possibilities are endless! Suddenly our medical bills seem so small. My still unknown ailment, so insignificant. And our adoption, so doable! We serve a God of miracles! And when we follow Him, He is sure to pave the way!
Proverbs 3:5-6 (this is from memory, so it may not be perfect)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not onto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight!"
So, with this blog-post almost all said and done...the running tally of God vs Satan is not the previously mentioned 2/0....it's more like 1000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ok I'm tired of hitting zeros...can I just say Infinity to Zero!?! :)
Praise Jesus today, for He alone is good. And He alone is God! We can't wait to see how He knocks our socks off next!
So, we got Sam, our German Shepherd "pup" (1 yr old), miraculously delivered to our door after the dog catcher had found him roaming our neighborhood streets and had agreed on the phone to meet my dad at our place for no fee at all! This, on the day that I had my spinal tap to discover whether or not I have MS (Multiple Sclerosis)! What a blessing and absolute miracle to NOT have to pay to get Sam out of the pound and/or pay a fine on that day in particular!! God was really looking out for us! (It was a good try Satan, but you forget Who we have on our side!! Strike 1! Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?")
The next day, we found ourselves wishing that the Animal Control officer would have taken Sam to the pound and refused to give him back! While watching a faith-based marriage movie, Calvin and I in the midst of enjoying the sweet story when we were caught off guard as our Netflix suddenly went out! After I spent ten or fifteen minutes on the phone with the technical support lady, trying to understand her English, and messing around uselessly with the internet modem, Calvin walked in the front door, interrupted my non-understandable conversation with the tech support woman with this announcement: "I found the problem." By the look on his face and the fact that he had come from outside, I guessed that the "problem" was Sam. And I was right. He had chewed through the internet cable that ran from the ground to the house! Straightaway, I handed the phone to Calvin so that the techy woman could further help him figure out what to do next. An appointment was set-up for a repair man to come in five days, but the appointment was due to cost us a minimum of $85! Eighty-five dollars that we just didn't have!
The next day, a bill for one of my CT scans came in, which acted to our checkbook like a jackhammer on a sidewalk, taking out a huge chunk of money that hadn't even made it's way from our time-cards to our bank-account! With that bill, the bill from the week before, of a greater amount for my brain MRI, Ella's weighty bill from her swallow therapist, the knowledge that the bill from my hospital stay that resulted from my allergic reaction and stay in the ICU would soon be arriving, and my spinal tap bill....this new bill for the internet was most unwelcome! With a sigh and a heavy heart, Calvin and I just looked at each other and said, "Well, how's God going to work this one out?" We knew He would, so we just sat back and watched to see how He would do it.
Today, the internet repair man came. And today, I had to beg God for forgiveness for having faith less than His provision! I had asked God to work it all out financially, but I didn't know to what magnitude He would do it! I thought maybe He would give us more hours at work or some other unexpected income to pay for the repair, but God is just so much bigger! But before I tell you how God solved the problem, I have to tell you how much the repair-man had to do! The wire was so destroyed outside, that he couldn't repair it! And because the wire fed into our 1920's basement that has been remodeled with new walls, the wire was completely hidden, so he couldn't work on it from the inside. The repair-man had no choice, but to drill a hole into our house and install not only a new wire, but a completely new phone jack! While he was working, Ari gave the man some of the peanut butter/Hershey's kiss cookies that we had baked the day before along with a thank you note that she had crafted especially for him! Once the internet was successfully set-up and we were waiting for our $85 + bill...Ari ran up to the man once again with a brownie on a paper-plate that she had served up herself (you should have seen the brownie pan and the "evidence" of Ariana's having been there!) and handed it to him saying, "thank you for fixing our internet!" It was then, that we learned that the man had fixed everything for not $85 and not the $100 he usually charged for this same repair, but for FREE! Yes, you read that correctly! He charged us nothing! I have no idea why or how or what...maybe Ariana tickled his sweet tooth, or maybe he was just really nice, or maybe, just maybe God nudged him...but no matter how it worked out, it did! I'm just speechless! (God 2 / Satan 0)
Calvin and I are just beyond thankful at what the Lord has done for us this week! The word "thankful" doesn't even begin to scrape the surface of our emotion! God has always provided for us in every circumstance! We may not have the biggest house, best health, newest clothes, but we have everything we need and so much more! God has paid off a 1.5 million dollar baby (and counting) plus a $4000 medical bill that we accrued at the beginning of the year that we initially thought would take us two years to pay off! How can we not trust that now, He will move in amazing and mysterious ways to provide for every single need at just the right time!
It's at financially-tight times like these that I become logically convinced that we are absolutely nuts for pursuing adoption! But then, I am reminded that my sight is limited. I do not see with heavenly eyes. What's that old saying...(perhaps it's Scripture)? God owns the cattle on a thousand hills..? He owns it all! If He has a plan, He has a way! Calvin and I just have to ask for His hand up and walk by faith as He shows us the way! And my oh my, I would prefer no other trail-guide than the great, Almighty Himself, the very One that carved out the trail! Aren't we blessed to have a bit of a cheat...because we are trusting our lives to the Author and Sustainer of the plan! ("For He chose us in him before the creation of the world" Ephesians 1:4)
In regards to my ability to understand God's plan:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD." Isaiah 55:8
He is so much bigger than my measly ability to understand!
And as for our attempts to try and "logically" sort out His call on our lives...well, read these verses (it's a bit of a brain-twister, but worth the effort!):
19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Our best attempts at wisdom are utter foolishness to God! Wow. I cannot fathom His wisdom!
If God can propel a baby to life that had a previous death sentence (Ella), and if He can provide all of the finances (over 1.5 million dollars) to pay for that same child, and if He can send that family with the "sick" child overseas to a third-world country to minister for a year (and provide the $60,000 that the stay required), and if He can provide the money to pay off thousands more dollars of medical bills, return a dog captured by Animal control for free, and install and fix internet at no cost...the possibilities are endless! Suddenly our medical bills seem so small. My still unknown ailment, so insignificant. And our adoption, so doable! We serve a God of miracles! And when we follow Him, He is sure to pave the way!
Proverbs 3:5-6 (this is from memory, so it may not be perfect)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not onto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight!"
So, with this blog-post almost all said and done...the running tally of God vs Satan is not the previously mentioned 2/0....it's more like 1000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ok I'm tired of hitting zeros...can I just say Infinity to Zero!?! :)
Praise Jesus today, for He alone is good. And He alone is God! We can't wait to see how He knocks our socks off next!
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