Matthew 6:28-31 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more cloth you? You of little faith! Do not worry then..."
Having clothing to wear is not something I have ever had to worry about. It is not something my children have had to worry about either. Having the right clothing to wear; that's a different story. It would sound ridiculous to a person who really doesn't have a garment to protect them from the elements. Recently though, two separate occasions arose in which an appropriate article was called for, and we did not have it.
The first was when our Drama Club went to the awards ceremony known as the Issac's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is a formal occasion, and girls wear gowns to it. Heather didn't have a gown that fit her, and none of mine worked for her either. I went to The Faith Center, a local thrift store, in search of an appropriate gown that was affordable for this one time use. Donna, the owner of the store is an officer in the Drama Booster Club for our school, and her son was attending the event as well. In fact, her son had been individually nominated for one of the awards. It was half an hour to closing time when we arrived, and all of the gowns had been put in storage since prom was over. When we told her what our errand was, Donna was excited to try and help and showed us where we could find them. We looked, but nothing seemed to work for Heather, either being the wrong size or cut too low. Just as the store was about to close Donna remembered a gown that was set aside in her office. We were first amazed that it was Heather's favorite color, and then found that it was here size too. It couldn't have been more perfect! Donna was the first to give glory to God for having the dress ready and waiting, and she let us borrow it for the event. I had waited until Wednesday to go looking, and the event was on Sunday. Praise be to God for providing!
The second occasion hasn't actually happened yet, but today God provided what we need for it. After Youth Group on Sunday the kids told us that Austin was going to need white pants for the Drama that the teens are doing for Reservation Sunday coming up this weekend. When I looked at Wal-Mart and Target today I found nothing. I headed to Khol's and found a pair, but they were on sale for $40. I had to take Heather to the doctor at the end of the school day, so we swung around by Ollie's after the appointment. "Good Stuff Cheap!" is their motto. The first thing I found was a $70 pair of pants marked down to $12, but they were not pure white. I wandered around for a few minutes and soon saw shelves with white pants stacked on them. When I checked the price tags they were only $3.99, and I quickly found Austin's size. Heather had been out in the car praying about it, and I had been asking for help too. I am really looking forward to seeing the Youth presentation on Sunday, and pray that it draws people to the Savior!
Thank you Lord that you provide. Not only did You provide a dress, but it was just the style and color Heather wanted. Not only did you provide the pants for the drama, but you led me to an inexpensive pair while we were already near the store. These experiences bring new life to the verses in Matthew 6 for me. You are teaching me all the time just how much You care about the small things as well as the large. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and
tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more cloth you?"
Update: The presentation that the white pants were needed for went very well!
