The Lord is in the Details

I wish I was an amazingly consistent blogger who you could always count on to post something inspirational every day, that my posts would go viral and my readership would just soar through the roof.  But alas, I do sin in my wish.  I'm just an average, ordinary person with a life and a family and oh, did I tell you I have nine children?

This is what I want the world to think it looks like.

 

THIS

is more often

the reality of

how it is.

I would like to think that as they have left the house and grown up that my mothering job is done.  Not so.  On occasion, I am more needed, and usually more urgently.  When the big boys (because my only daughter is not there yet) call and need me, it is usually because they have exhausted all of their other resources and their time is critical, and it usually involves money.  But that's OK, because we have all been there right?

Have you ever noticed that the Lord does that for us too?

Just today I was stressing because with extra boys at home, there are no leftovers.  The things I plan for meals just do not seem to stretch as far and I am functionally feeding four and a half men three meals every day.  In another month, it will be five men (for a week, then two will leave).  But the point is, I do my grocery shopping on Thursdays and it is Tuesday afternoon and the fruit basket is empty, the eggs are gone, some of the condiments are out, the refrigerator is looking like bachelors live here, you know what I mean.  (I can see how badly the fridge needs to be cleaned.  It is that empty!)

As I put on the beans to cook for dinner tonight and realized that I didn't have enough left in the bucket to feed everyone tonight, I didn't think it would be such a big deal because I always have a bucket of beans somewhere.  So I searched through the food storage cupboards.  Nothing.  I looked in all of my buckets.  Couldn't find any more.  As I was starting to panic, I had the thought, just keep looking in the food storage.  OK.  I have checked my cupboards.  The only place left is the garage.  I think I only have 30 year old wheat out there.  But, true to the prompting, I went out.

I looked in my pile of wheat bags, not yet put into buckets.  No beans.  I stared at the shelves and shelves of someone's weathered and aged #10 cans that came to our house because someone couldn't bear to throw out their 30 year old food storage and neither could my spouse (we might need that someday you know?  We are still working on his ability not only to declutter, but not to bring it home in the first place.  I throw out more things that way........SSSSSHHHHHH!!  Did I say that out loud?)

What did I see?  Some shiny #10 cans mixed in with the weathered ones.  I got closer so that I could read the label.   BEANS!!!  Sweet!  6 cans of beans!!  I recognized that they were older, not 30 years old, though.  When I opened them the seal broke.  That's good, I thought.  Inside were red, black and pinto beans, our favorites!  Hip hip hooray!!  I didn't even know they were in our house, but the Lord knew.  Kind of like that feeling I get when I know one of those big boys is going to call and ask us to transfer money to help them cover something (not like toys, or entertainment, I'm talking food, rent, getting home, you know, the important stuff).

I was just so very, very grateful that the Lord knows us, loves us, and will do what He can (and what we will let Him) to help us.  And as we help one another, like Drew and I do for the boys and Tams, and the other kiddos, we answer each others' prayers and we become angels employed in the service of our God.  "As ye have done unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  And King Benjamin's amazing address:  "...I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."

copyright:  Karen Larsen photography

(Even when it rains, there is beauty)

 

So even, no especially, when our service may be limited to feeding, clothing, bathing, wiping noses, and bottoms and soothing hurt feelings, for little people or big people or one person, we are making a contribution to the work of the kingdom.  Some day those little people are going to grow into big people, (who need money) and love and attention, and sometimes advice, but sometimes just a listening and sympathetic ear.

Yea to the Lord for putting us into the service of one another, through families, or church, or neighborhoods, or work or whatever.  We are truly brothers and sisters of the same Father, who even cares about beans for dinner tonight!