Memorial Box Monday

Thanks, again, to Linny for inspiring us to create memorials that will remind our children of all the LORD has done!

I'm home with Ellie, who is, oh, so sick. What better time to stop and remember the faithfulness of our awe-inpiring, Jehovah-Jireh:

Many of you know, and some may not.....I married my high school sweet heart. Yes....Stan. We started dating when I was only 16. I was a child bride. We married when I was 18. And, if I had it to do all over again, I would!!!! Who would put up with me?

This story begins when we had only been married 7 weeks. Stan was working at a saw mill, and I was in college. It was the day of mid-terms, and I was in a humanities class. The teacher had always called my by my legal name, Roberta, ignoring my request to call me Robbie.

On that morning, however, she walked in and called me Robbie. She said, "Robbie, you have an emergency phone call." My heart sank when she called me Robbie. Then, my heart fluttered when she said I had an emergency phone call. I immediately began to worry about my niece Jessica, who was only one week old.

I'm not sure who took me to the student affairs office to answer the phone, and surely don't know how long the person I spoke with had been on hold.

The news was not about Jessica.

It was Stan.

He had fallend 17 1/2 feet and landed on concrete. (I later learned that a pile of logs had broken his fall.) I knew he was conscious. Another worker had been able to talk with him, and he was at the emergency room.

As I was on the phone, my entire body began to tremble. I'm not sure who it was who came up behind me. He held onto me with one arm, while steadying the phone by my ear with his other hand. Overhearing my part of the conversation, another staff memeber was picking up her purse offering to drive me to the hospital.

Stan was not criticaly injured....one of many miracles in his life. He had broken bones and a bruised kidney. He would be okay, but out of work for some time.

I was in college, remember.

I was not making any money.

And, suddenly we found ourselves living off of his workman's compensation.

Most of the time, that was enough.

There was one week in particular, though, that I was worried. Our bills were current, but we had to make our car payment. After I paid it on a Friday, we didn't have any money left for groceries. I was wondering about praying about what to do. I knew I could ask my parents for help, but had not decided to do that yet. I knew we would be okay again on the next Friday when Stan would receive another check.

On Sunday morning, still carrying my burdens alone, a lady at church walked up to me after service. She picked up my hand and placed something in it. She said, "The LORD told me to give this to you."


Those of you who are under 30 may not be impressed. But, those of us over 40 know that $5.00 could buy quite a few groceries in the early 80's. I was able to buy enough for Stan and me to eat through Thursday with that $5.00. We ate a lot of hamburger, I remember, but we ATE!

And, I want my children to remember that God will care for all of our needs. He supplies in ways we do not expect. He will never leave the righteous forsaken.

So, the first object in our memorial box will be a $5.00 bill. And, when I have doubt about paying bills, I shall take it out, and hold it close to my heart, reminding myself to trust in Jesus who can speak to any other child in his Kingdom, and our needs will be taken care of.