All Things Come From Him

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32

Yesterday I took my kids shopping for school clothes. I really had a great time. Abigail is at that age where she's decided she likes trying on clothes, and her taste is very interesting, so I love walking in a store with her, seeing what she picks, and then letting her try them on. She has fun with it! And yesterday, as Zander and I were sitting on a cushion waiting for her, I thought about how blessed we are to be able to do such a thing. It may seem trivial to some, it's only clothing after all, but it's something that Abigail and I can do together that we both enjoy immensely. She's growing so fast! And I want to treasure and cherish every moment with her- especially the moments where she is having a good time.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you would know that one of the things I've always lamented has been my furniture. Every once in a while I just get fed up with how it looks and it's really old, so I just get discouraged about having people over. At first, I just gave that yucky feeling to God and asked him to take it away. Then a temporary solution presented itself in the form of slipcovers and coverings, and I could live with the furniture for a while. But lately... that yucky feeling came back. As we had our group over one night, and I watched the couch sink as three people sat on it, I just knew we had to do something... surely God wanted our guests in our home to be comfortable? Not feel like they're being eaten by a giant old sofa from the seventies.

So I started looking for furniture. I couldn't believe how expensive a set of new furniture was going to be, and I just kept looking, yet thinking to myself that when the time came to buy the furniture, God was going to make sure we had the money for it. I've been looking most of the summer, actually, and then one day something caught my eye. There was a couch listed in an add for an unbelievable price. It's back-to-school and back-to-college time, so no doubt, many of the retailers have cheap furniture available for dorm rooms. But this one looked nicer- and it looked long enough! So the day it went on sale, the kids and I zipped out of the house early in the morning to snag one. I was so excited, because I was going to come home with a new couch!

Then we got to the store, and wouldn't you know it. They were out- the shipment of them hadn't come in in time for the sale, but if I wanted, I could take a rain check. I was bummed. I looked the display over though, and thought it looked really dorm-ish. It was lower to the ground than a normal sofa, but it would easily seat three or four people-and that's what mattered to me. I didn't take a rain check, and instead, we dashed to another location.

Yes, of course, that store didn't have the couch either. We went home, and I was feeling pretty bummed about having to ask our friends to sit on that ratty old couch for another week. Then last week I was driving through Appleton when I saw another location. I really, rally wanted to turn into the parking lot and see if they had my couch. But something kept me from doing so. It was as if my spirit was wrestling with itself. One part of me really wanted to go see if they had that couch, another part of me was saying that if I did that I'd regret it big time. So we drove home, and in a strange turn of events, I decided to look on Craigslist to see if there was any furniture for sale in my area.

Of course, you can see where this story would be going, and to make a long story short, I found not just a couch on craigslist, but an entire living room set for a ridiculous price. We picked it up last week Saturday, and you would never know that this set had been used. Never. It looks completely brand new and it fits perfectly in our smaller living room. It's wonderful! Every time I walk into the living room I just have to smile, because God provided the most perfect furniture. When I tried to take matters into my own hands, it didn't work out, time and time again. God had something better in mind for me, and slowly but surely, my living room is turning into a gathering space that I can be proud of and be comfortable in, rather than embarrassed and apologetic.

God does provide all things. Of that, I have no doubt. Just sometimes we get impatient waiting for what He has planned for us. God loves us and wants us to be happy, he wants us to have the desires of our heart. I am so grateful and thankful for his provision in our life so far. I pray that he continues to bless us, and that he also blesses those who come into our home.