“Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or Wherewithal, shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knows that ye need all these things.”
Matthew 6:31,32
If you think back, I’m guessing you’ve learned more about God in your time of need than any other time. For it is in those times that God can reveal you Himself in ways He could not otherwise.
When we were trying to build our flying business, the first years were hard. To say money was tight was an understatement – we didn’t have any. Learning to live on faith was a day-to-day way of life. In those adventurous times, God taught us to depend on Him, no matter how things looked. Sometimes it was very hard, and it tested our faith. We learned He always had a plan.
One Thanksgiving was one of those times. As I worked my grocery list, checking the ads for specials, I counted my money; I realized I couldn’t buy a turkey and the trimmings. How could I do both? Then, I had a jolt of inspiration -what if I bought five or six pounds of hamburger, mixed it as meatloaf, used Popsicle sticks as a” bone” to mold the hamburger around, maybe it would look turkey-like. Who was I kidding?. Talk about a desperate mom!
I had a turkey problem!
I bundled up, grabbed my list, and prayed God would make my money stretch, and I headed for the store.
Circling the turkey bins, walking away, checking the fresh produce, and can goods aisles, I made my way back to the turkeys again.
The turkey won. I didn’t want the kids to go to school feeling they had missed out on a Thanksgiving special dinner, even if it just turkey, potatoes, corn, and gravy.
As I bent over the bin to lift a turkey, I heard someone call my name. I looked up, and there stood Chris. Chris was an adorable 19-year-old student pilot, looking every bit the part of “Snoopy, WW1 fighter pilot” with his leather jacket, a white scarf around his neck, and a leather hat on his head.
I smiled and said, “Hi, Chris, Happy Thanksgiving.” He gave me one of those smiles and said, “I spotted your car in the parking lot and put a turkey in the backseat. Dad and I both get turkeys from work, and we don’t need two of them. See you later.” With a grin and a wave, he was gone!
I was stunned.
I hadn’t prayed for a turkey! I hadn’t even thought to ask for one or for more money; I asked Him to make my money stretch.
I think it was important for my Heavenly Father that His daughter had a turkey that Thanksgiving. Now, I am not crazy about turkey, but I am crazy about my kids, and so it was important to me, they had a turkey dinner. God is crazy about His kids, too. I think He wanted to remind me He is always there and ready to meet my needs.
The takeaway: God wants to show us what He can do.
