Memorial Box Monday: An Extra One?

Four years ago I began to post stories of God’s faithfulness.  In our home, we call them Memorial Box stories.  In fact we have a Memorial Box filled with small objects.

Each object represents a story or event in our lives.   Some of the stories represent His provision, some His protection, some His direction, all represent His faithfulness.

Some of our stories are so extraordinary that it could be easy to think, “I don’t have anything that spectacular, so why bother?”

But God is at work around us all day long {and all night long} every.single.day.  He never lets up.  He is always moving and accomplishing His plans for our life.   Why is He always at work?  Because He loves us so and wants every day relationship with us.  He is active.  He is not a only on Christmas and Easter kind of God.  He is an every day God….always working in our lives, in big ways and small ways.  But always it’s HIM.  

I think that the day can easily slip by without recognizing that it was HIM.  Yet, when we slow down enough to pay attention, we become so aware of His nearness and constant presence each and every day.

I was all set to tell a story that happened on our vacation.  BUT something happened this afternoon, that I have to share.  And yes, it is now officially a Memorial Box story of ours.   Simple. Easy. All God.

Well as every one knows Autumn’s wedding is this week-end.  I had yet to hem Emma and Liberty’s dresses.  In fact, I left this morning’s little post, with a quick, “I’m off to hem…”

Liberty is a bridesmaid and Emma is the maid-of-honor.  I wasn’t putting it off, but there really hadn’t been the time to do it until today.

So I pulled out my new sewing machine.   I had had my old one for about 20 years before I lost it in the fire.  This new machine is the one that my precious friend, Cindy, adoptive mom of 10, who went to be with Jesus three years ago from cancer {and many of you fasted and prayed for Cindy when I asked you in this post} mailed me after our fire.  I have used it a handful of times.

So I got the machine out and was all gung-ho to “get ‘er done”.  Graham had a shirt that needed mending so I did that first to brush up my rustiness in using the pretty new-to-me machine.  It worked great!  So I tackled the girls formal dresses next.  And was cruising right along until suddenly it wouldn’t work.  At.All.

And for the next 2.5 hours I tried everything I could think of.  Everything.  Of course, I prayed as soon as it stopped.  I took the machine semi-apart.  I started over.  I took it apart again.  I wear tri-focals {aren’t they clever to call them “progressive” = nice word for “can’t see anything near or far”}….my eyes were going buggy trying to see the tiny parts inside that weren’t turning.

I know very few people here in Phoenix.  There is no one I can call and say, “Hey, can I borrow your sewing machine…” and besides, if I were to try to borrow one, I’m not so quick at learning a new style machine.

I talked to Emma and Dw who had run an all day errand together.  They were praying.  The kids gathered and prayed with me.

As I approached 3 hours of trying to get the machine to work, Graham came into the kitchen and said, “Mom isn’t there another machine in the garage?”   “There is,” I responded.

I hadn’t really remembered that there was.  But in desperation and completely not sure what to do, I broke down and in tears I went to look for it.  There it was, in a box.  I lifted it down from a top shelf and opened it and found a very used older machine.  When I opened it, I found that it was already thread with black thread, exactly what I needed!

I plugged it on and it was able to worked like a charm.  The machine does not look familiar at all.  I’m not sure where it came from.  But I do know that God knew when it ended  up in our garage that I would need it today.

He was working behind the scenes on my behalf.   I whizzed the hems out, the linings hemmed as well.  And have paused to write this post.  The thread is almost gone and I will put the little empty spool in our Memorial Box to remind us – that when I needed a working sewing machine, He had graciously placed one {from who knows where} in the garage.  

All praise and glory go to Him!

Next week, I will have the link set up so you can share your own Memorial Box stories.  In the meantime, I challenge you to begin to think about your own stories of His provision, protection and providence!  He is so faithful to each of us – because He loves us so.  

16 thoughts on “Memorial Box Monday: An Extra One?

  1. Love it! Thanks for the encouragement you share through these precious stories… Love how God works in such crazy, unbelieveable ways sometimes! Praying for everything that needs to be accomplished before the big day! Can't wait to hear about it!

  2. I have never commented on your blog. But I have "stalked" you for the last two years (that is when two of our children started their adoption process. We are not grandparents of nine including 4 two-year olds from Ethiopia:):):)) Anyway, your blog made me think. I have a very good sewing machine. God has given me great talent in sewing and knitting. I am newly retired, moved to another state, and not feeling very useful not knowing many people here. I realized I could use my machine and God to help others that may be stuck before a wedding or whatever they need from me in this area. Thanks for the reminder, God and Linny
    Ia

  3. Sweet. God just made a way for me to go to a local quilt group next week and learn the next thing I need to know about quilting to finish my project. It looked impossible yesterday morning. I love that God cares about what is close to our hearts!!!! Thanks for sharing!

  4. How awesome was that? Sewing machines do have a mind of their own at times, that is for sure. They stop working whenever they feel like it! I am so glad there was another one handy for you to use!

    heather

  5. Love it! I have one from yesterday too! My husband just started grad school and we are trying to pay for it without taking out any loans. The Lord has so graciously provided for us over and over. Yesterday, we needed groceries desperately, and I knew we only had $50 to spend on them. We were out of so many many things that I knew there was no way $50 would refill our cabinets. I went through the store gathering what we needed and when I got to the counter I just knew the bill would be over $100. Seriously, my cart was FULL. I was mentally calculating what items I could afford to put back when the cashier finished and told me the grand total I owed him… $50.35!! Only faithful God. 🙂 I went back over the items in my cart and I knew that there was no way it would ever add up on paper. But my God supplies all our needs, over and over and over.

  6. How awesome and how so lovely that the Lord's got your back in this! 🙂 He is before you and behind you and every where! And black thread? is that a little clue as to the colour of wedding theme? 😀
    YHWH was so awesome to me too! I was spending all day and all night (slept 5am) working on this video page in my website with all the little html codes everywhere and He directed me to the answer several times, that was so uncanny! I would NEVER know how to, and I still dont!!!! Now the video part of my website is up and running and may He use it for His glory 🙂 HalleluYah.

  7. God always has the best solutions! 🙂
    But if there's ever another sewing machine emergency, feel free to text me an S.O.S. and I'll come right over with mine!

  8. Awesome story as usual. It always amazes me how our God cares about even the small details. Just last week, I was at the hospital with my girls for their routine procedures and because I was not in my local network with my cell phone, the batter ran out right away. Of course, I had forgotten my charger too! So, I went to the nurse's station and asked if anyone had a charger for my particular type of phone (so many people have i-phones these days, but not me). The nurse said there was one right there and she had no idea who it belongs to and how it got there. I was able to plug my phone in. That nurse may not know how that charger ended up there, BUT I sure do! 🙂

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