Hello! I have placed all of my Thought For The Day postings into this blog format. It gives you an opportunity to respond, if you care to do so.
Shall we begin? :-)
Astonishing Kindness - based on Ephesians 3:20,21
Proud to have finished my degree in Engineering Technology I had no time to celebrate or even walk in the graduation ceremony. I was busy packing my house to move to the beautiful town of Chico, California; the city of trees. I was starting a new job drafting and designing residential homes and small businesses. Finally, finally, I had secured a position that would enable me to take care of my three beautiful children.
They had been through so much; but you would never know it. Kind, thoughtful, well-mannered, energetic and full of life, these three beautiful children of mine (13, 12, and 10 ½ at the time), were the joy of my life and the impetus of all of my ambition.
Unfortunately, I had graduated just as the building industry was going down. My new employer was running out of projects. I could not get enough work to cover expenses.
In the evenings I had been composing music. I had written a symphony cantata and was trying to secure an investor. Right when the building industry went down a group of people asked me to meet with them. Their words to me? Merry Christmas! We are going to back your project.
Rent was due, other bills, too. But I held out for the check that was on its way. Christmas came and went. I reached out to them to assess the delay. “Oh, Christmas just got in the way, no worries, your check is coming.”
I assured my landlord that I would be paying the back rent, soon. It turned out to be a false promise. The check never came and I never heard from that group again.
Evicted.
I had just enough money to put our things into storage and to rent a motel room for one week. My children never complained. They just helped me pack our things into a storage unit and we moved into the motel.
A few people advised me to go to a shelter. I shivered at the thought, but the next day I went to that shelter. We were turned away because they were infested with lice and were not taking in any new boarders.
I approached my employer. Do we have any projects?
Yes! He said, I just got seven houses! Can you design and draft the floor plans?
YES, I can! I got my computer out of storage and began to draft. That work gained us two more weeks in the motel. After that all work ceased.
But an idea popped into my head; I could caretake a home that might be on the market. Motivated, I called a real estate office and was greeted kindly, and with astonishment, when I made my request.
You are never going to believe this, but I just hung up the phone with a gentleman in Utah. He owns a home here in Chico and was wondering if we knew of anyone who could caretake it for him. I will put you in touch with him!
I didn’t have a cell phone, but I did have a phone in the motel room. Later that day I received a call from him. He talked to me for about half an hour and then asked me to call his son in Sacramento. I did. Both men were very kind. The father was a neurosurgeon. But neither of them said that I had the position. So, I assumed that it was another false hope.
The following morning, at 11:00 a.m., we would be moving out of the motel and onto the streets.
I stared at my sleeping children with their soft pink cheeks. They trusted implicitly that I would take care of them. I kneeled beside the bed and prayed that God would help me.
I cried and prayed through the majority of that night. Then God led me to this verse, “I called upon the LORD in distress, the LORD answered me and set me in a large place.” Psalm 118:5 KJV
I looked around the motel room and said, Oh, yeah, this is big. Eventually I fell asleep. In the morning I rose early to get my shower before the children woke up. When I walked into the bathroom the mirror revealed a puffy, red- eyed woman staring back at me. I jokingly said to myself, Now THERE is a woman of great faith!
But I knew that I had no faith, and I felt ashamed of myself. God would take care of us. As I showered, I sang praises. Dressed and determined to be as cheerful as possible I stepped into the room of my sleeping children. The phone was ringing. It was 7:00 a.m.
It was the neuro-surgeon. He let me know that he was coming to Chico in three days and he would like to meet with me.
My stomach tightened. I assured him that I would love to meet with him, but we should set up the time and place now, as I would be without a phone by then.
He said, Don’t you have any money? I embarrassingly replied, No, sir, I do not.
The phone was quiet.
And that is when an astonishing kindness went into effect.
He told me to go to the real estate office; He would call in advance to have the key to his home waiting for me.
I woke the children and said, Get up, sleepyheads, we are going to our new home!!
The real estate agent handed me the key and the address and asked if I had ever seen the home. When I said, no, she actually laughed.
And now I knew why she had laughed.
I found my new address embossed on a plaque on a brick wall. A wrought-iron gate graced the entry. With my mouth open in wonder, I drove into the circular driveway. Manicured lawns, redwood trees, pecan trees, olive trees, and cypress trees surrounded a huge 9-bedroom, 5 bath home on two acres. The kids squealed with delight and ran into the backyard to find a swimming pool and an in-ground trampoline.
I walked through the massive home and landed in the front room. Large windows framed that meticulous park-like yard. I sat on the floor and pulled my Bible out of my purse. It opened to, “I called upon the LORD in distress, the LORD answered me and set me in a large place.” Psalm 118:5 KJV
Yes, you did, LORD. Yes, you did. Faithful.
Three days later I made sure that two of the bedrooms were prepared for the doctor and his son.
In the morning, when I walked into the kitchen, the doctor, already dressed for the day, was smiling at me. I offered him my hand and thanked him for his enormous generosity. At that moment my three beautiful children entered the room and shook his hand. The doctor’s eyes brimmed with tears and he said, I think we both know Who brought you here.
I DID know. And this enormous kindness and generosity would continue in my life in the most amazing ways. I have always known that man can answer man's needs with some kind of help, but God answers man's needs as only a God can. When we stand in the blessing and demonstration of the love of God, we stand in awe of His amazing ability, insight, and poured-out kindness.
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" Ephesians 3:20,21