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Re: the 'little' things

"I lift up my eyes from hill to hill. From where does my help come? My 
help comes from Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth. He will not 
allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He 
who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Jehovah is your 
keeper; Jehovah is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not 
strike you by day, nor the moon by night. Jehovah shall preserve you 
from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. Jehovah shall preserve your 
going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even 
forevermore." (Ps121)

This psalm is obviously written to/about Israel. But God's care for His 
own of Christ's Church is not really any different. Since it is turning 
out to be the case that this is being written in proximity to this 
year's "Thanksgiving" day, I'd like to share some of all the 'little' 
ways I see God's care on my behalf. There's a lot of "foot not slipping" 
and "sun not striking" type of things that happen on a regular basis, 
such that I have come to appreciate that they are not merely "by 
chance"; but God is watching over me.

Most recently, a few week-ends ago the particular Saturday was my annual 
chores of changing oil in the mower, rototiller, motorcycle; turn off 
the inside water valve to the outside water faucet and blow it out; 
sweep/blow the driveway. The very-next-day began our (winter) cold 
blast, after which, it gets miserable to do those outdoor things. The 
following week-end I swept/blew all the leaves blown around by the 
storms; raked/blew the leaves down to the garden area; warmed up the 
bike, topped off its fuel tank, parked it as though for winter storage. 
Very next day Spokane woke up to snow. 

Over the past several years I notice this on a recurring regular basis. 
Even in the summer, where I might have trimmed and mowed the lawn, and 
swept/blown the driveway, and then the next day have it begin a bit of a 
rainy spell. I don't usually consciously earnestly look at the weather 
to try to plan my chores...but REPEATEDLY, the Lord's grace arranges my 
actions to have been "just right" for the weather that was "just" 
coming.  Sometimes when I do those chores, then the next day blasts the 
temperature way up (I don't do heat very well)...so the chores got done 
within tolerable temperatures.

At the store, when I order supplies, how does one know "how much" of any 
certain colors of vinyl to order, to have on-hand? Every once in awhile, 
over the years, I have noticed how I will have ordered an 'extra' amount 
of some certain color, and when my supplier delivers it and I'm stocking 
it away on the rack, looking at ALL-THAT-MUCH of that certain color, and 
wondering to myself what possessed me to order SO MUCH!  Only a couple 
days later to have an order come in, needing that precise color, of an 
amount to which that roll seemed to have been "too much". (am I making 
any sense here?)

Ever since I got "stuck" running the store by myself, I have seen over 
the years that it is not -me- running it. I'm not a businessman. It is 
not my greatest joy in life to talk 'business' with customers. I utterly 
'loathe' the process required to calculate price 'quotes' for people. I 
'hate' taking peoples' money.  And yet, even though many other stores 
have risen up in the area as competition, and some of them are closed 
again (they didn't make it), this little shop keeps puttering along. 
Business is often slow...that's the Lord's provision so I can do these 
VW writings...and all the hours that went into the VW-edition. When 
things need to be written, business is slow. But just as equally, when 
the writing is caught up (or ahead), suddenly, without any sort of 
predictability on my part, orders come in, and in short order, the 
amounts necessary to pay the bills for the month come in...And often I 
even get to pay PB, too!

Regarding God's protection... You know, when I do as much writing as I 
do for VW, it is often the case that I am burrowed in, writing a whole 
series of mailings within a concentrated period of a few days, where all 
my mind sees is the things being written. When I am in such a state of 
mind/spirit, the senses for other things around me take a back-seat. So, 
when I need to 'drive' out this little side-street, to merge into the 
evening's rush-hour traffic, when my eyes may not be focusing quite as 
they should, from staring at the computer screen all day, non-stop, 
guess what...!  The Lord seems to arrange the timing of my coming up to 
the "Stop" sign, and the other traffic on the Blvd such that there is NO 
TRAFFIC coming as I am ready to proceed out. I am able to calmly get on 
out, and when I've gotten going about a half-block, then the light turns 
"Green" for the pack of 'hounds' that come chasing the lone little 
'fox'. But by then, I'm safely in the traffic lane, proceeding safely 
home... blended in with the flow of the rest of traffic.

So many -LITTLE- things. Often as I am pulling out onto the Blvd, I 
utter a little "Thank you".

Sometimes when I share things from PB's life, some react with 
psychoanalysis, and suggest I have not overcome the 'hurts' I've 
experienced, and that I have not 'forgiven' people who have wronged me. 
(If only they knew even the tiniest smidgen of what they think they 
know!) Others appreciate the personal notes, expressing desires that I 
would do it more often. So, this is written for the benefit of you, the 
latter group.

I don't have any -BIG- things to be thankful for. I did not fall off a 
cliff, and now am recovered. I did not contract cancer, and now I am 
well. I did not win the lotto, and now I'm wealthy beyond my wildest 
dreams. I have not been in some situation of which the media took 
notice, and now I'm famous. But the 'little' things, day-in, day-out.

That's what I am thankful for!  I don't look "from hill to hill", from 
god-to-god, the gods to whom the people make their idols and temples 
situated on hills here and there like in Israel's day. My help doesn't 
come from those "high places". (1Ki12:31,14:23,etc)  My help and care 
comes from "Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth."  He is the one 
to whom I give thanks!

"O give thanks unto Jehovah, for He is good! For His mercy is eternal." 
(Ps118:1)

Amen!

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