sparrows and dryers

We've got a lot going on in our life right now (things I'll go into in more detail later), big changes that are setting our path for the future. And as always seems to be the case, we've got stuff piling up. The last few days have been trying for our family--capped by my niece getting injured in a freak accident with a barn door. I went to bed last night quite simply worn down. My mind was racing with a hundred different things and I really can't tell you how many times I woke up through the night.

But then came the morning.


One of the things that had gotten piled on was minor, especially in the face of everything else, but it definitely felt like a big deal. Our dryer simply stopped working yesterday. No light inside, no attempt to start when I pushed the button (no matter the setting), no breaker tripped--just nothing. Not a huge thing in the grand scheme of things, but a sizable frustration and inconvenience when it was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." I got up to have coffee with Nathan before he left for work and it occurred to me that I needed to open the dryer door to try to keep the load of clothes from getting mold and mildew. Low and behold, the light came on....so I pushed the button, and things started tumbling.

I know it may not seem like much of a "God thing" to some people, but I have to tell you that this morning, it couldn't bee anything else. It brought to mind these verses:


"Here is the bottom line: do not worry about your life. Don’t worry about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don’t worry about how you clothe your body. Living is about more than merely eating, and the body is about more than dressing up. Look at the birds in the sky. They do not store food for winter. They don’t plant gardens. They do not sow or reap—and yet, they are always fed because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are even more precious to Him than a beautiful bird. If He looks after them, of course He will look after you. Worrying does not do any good; who here can claim to add even an hour to his life by worrying?

Nor should you worry about clothes. Consider the lilies of the field and how they grow. They do not work or weave or sew, and yet their garments are stunning. Even King Solomon, dressed in his most regal garb, was not as lovely as these lilies. And think about grassy fields—the grasses are here now, but they will be dead by winter. And yet God adorns them so radiantly. How much more will He clothe you, you of little faith, you who have no trust?

So do not consume yourselves with questions: What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? Outsiders make themselves frantic over such questions; they don’t realize that your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too. So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself. Living faithfully is a large enough task for today." (Matthew 6:25-34)

Sometimes, it's the little reminders that mean the most. It's the times that God makes it a point to say, "I'm still here, and I still care about you." No, not everything our family is facing is going to clear up right away. Yes, we still have big decisions and big challenges we have to figure out how to work through--God didn't take that away. He did, however, remind me that He's still here with me in the middle of the mess.

All because of a dryer.