Pam Padgett, member of the body of Christ
Thursday morning of last week I was in my back yard and the next-door neighbor's 11-year old son, Josiah, was outside as well. He came to the fence to talk and told me he was on spring break. He asked what I planned to do that day and I told him I would probably rake leaves in the afternoon. He immediately said "I'll help you!" and asked what time to come.
Josiah has come to my mind several times since, tragically, his dad moved from their home last October to be with another woman. When Josiah has come to mind, I've prayed, asking God to help him in whatever he needs. After seeing Josiah that morning, I asked God to please give me wisdom in what to say and do when Josiah came to rake leaves that afternoon.
Josiah came right at 2 o'clock and in less than an hour, we had 6 large bags of leaves. I wasn't led to say anything that seemed important; we mostly just bagged leaves. Before he left he thanked me for letting him come over. I told him I planned to work again the following afternoon and he was welcome to come help if he wanted to do so. He said he'd do that.
Friday afternoon Josiah came and brought his friend to help as well. The 2 boys worked very well together. I simply told them what to do, and they would do it.
Josiah has come to my mind several times since, tragically, his dad moved from their home last October to be with another woman. When Josiah has come to mind, I've prayed, asking God to help him in whatever he needs. After seeing Josiah that morning, I asked God to please give me wisdom in what to say and do when Josiah came to rake leaves that afternoon.
Josiah came right at 2 o'clock and in less than an hour, we had 6 large bags of leaves. I wasn't led to say anything that seemed important; we mostly just bagged leaves. Before he left he thanked me for letting him come over. I told him I planned to work again the following afternoon and he was welcome to come help if he wanted to do so. He said he'd do that.
Friday afternoon Josiah came and brought his friend to help as well. The 2 boys worked very well together. I simply told them what to do, and they would do it.
At one point the boys found an old table turned upside-down in some leaves. They asked if they could sand and paint it, which was fine with me. I hadn't planned on this and had only black and cranberry colored exterior paint. They painted the table top cranberry with a raspberry-shaped figure, smiling and waving on it. The table legs were painted black ... with cranberry-colored polka dots!
It was such a delight for me to get to watch the boys work together, and they got far more done than I could have gotten done on my own. Incredibly, they wanted to come back and work more the next day.
That evening I was thinking about all of this, thanking God and laughing at little things that had happened along the way.
Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of my prayer regarding Josiah. I felt I was being shown that "this", the time working at my house, is what Josiah needed on those afternoons.
And I was reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9, in which God says ...
8 For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways, and MY thoughts than your thoughts.
I had no idea that just coming to help me with yard work was what Josiah needed at that exact point in time, but it makes me happy to think of how God worked all this out.
And God worked it out not only for Josiah, but for me as well. I still smile
when I think about how much fun it was to watch the boys work. And it's
nice to see the yard cleaned up. But I especially enjoy the table with
polka-dot legs!
***
Comments by Beth Martin:
I am reminded of :
Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now unto HIM that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
20 Now unto HIM that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto HIM be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
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