The Dipstick That Broke the Camel's Back/ God Goes Shopping

It's been hard, lately. I've been trying to be prayerful, positive and strong, but it's not easy. Keep in mind that I dislike change. My whole world has been turned upside down! Not only have my circumstances changed, but I am also taking care of a three-year-old. We are in the middle of our business busy season. I am trying to prepare for the babies to come home. Then there is the roller coaster ride with Baby C.

I've noticed that when I get tired, little things seem overwhelming. For example, a census worker stopped by because we were on the naughty list after forgetting to mail in our census form. WHY? It was so embarrassing and unnecessary, but our lives are too crazy right now. Fortunately, the worker was a friend of ours from way back. I told her about the quads, gave the required information only, made sure she would pray, and signed her up to hold a few babies.

Then, I got home late from the hospital one night and still needed to go pick up Callie. My brakes seemed soft (or I was so exhausted that I was shifting wrong), so I asked Tom to check my brake fluid. The poor guy was more tired than I was and naturally impatient. If you work on a tiny VW Beetle in the dark, there's going to be trouble. Sure enough, he ended up snapping the oil dipstick guide in half. WHY??? I wanted to sit down in the driveway and cry. I don't have time for broken dipsticks! So I drove off to get Callie, spewing oil the whole way.

Later, I decided to check the quad clothes list that my mom has been making. Bad Timing! I looked at the list and despaired. This time I did sit down and cry. I felt very sorry for myself, telling the Lord that I don't have time for census taking or broken dipsticks or baby clothes shopping. I really wanted to sing a sad country song, but I don't know any. I can be quite pathetic when I try.

As soon as he had a free minute, Tom called the Volkswagen dealer to order the part. It was in stock and only cost $12.00. Callie and I went
to pick it up on the way to the hospital. While we were waiting, the people in the service department were talking to Callie. I told them about the quads, and they agreed to pray. One trip to the dealer added three people to the praying list! Later, Tony popped the part in and my car was good to go. (The brake fluid was fine, by the way.)

A couple of days later, I was brushing my teeth when the phone rang. It was the census worker again. This time she said, "Sondra, I'm at a garage sale and there are lots of baby clothes. Do you guys still need anything?"

"YES!" I said. "Get me some and I'll pay you back." Tom was nearby on his way to work, so I sent him there to help. The couple had a boy and a girl, and their driveway was full of clothes from baby to preschool sizes. Tom made them an offer for everything. I came down in a truck. We filled up the bed of the pick-up with bags of clothes, all sizes. My friend told the sellers about the quads. They said it made them feel good to help out, especially when they found out we are pro-life, and they agreed to pray. So did a couple of men who were shopping for their grandkids. One gentleman told me all about his twin grandchildren while offering lots of encouragement.

I drove home and couldn't stop smiling. Why do I even waste time asking WHY? God has a purpose for every friendly census worker, every little broken dipstick, and every interruption. What's even more amazing is that when it's necessary, God does my shopping for me.



Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem,throughout the generations.