Decisions, Doorknobs, and Windows

Our house is constantly being worked on. There are many quirks and many projects awaiting spare time. Despite this, our home is a wonderful place full of stories of God's provision. Elysia and I have joked about putting placards on each item in the house that God has provided.

We would need a lot of placards.

However, we have kept a blessing book for almost the past year. Today's story will be entered in that book.

Last year, one project that I had to fix was the screen door. I re-secured the handle so that it would latch properly, installed a new closer, and painted the old Kwik Fill sign that had been used to patch a hole. Following these repairs, the door was fully functional and not too bad-looking. It was off the to-do list.

*snap*

I'm told that's the sound a door handle makes when it breaks.

"Just go buy a new one from Home Depot, they're not that expensive." My inner voice offered a suggestion. For some reason, though, I didn't feel right about going to buy a new handle. I didn't believe God wanted me to buy one, so I didn't. That's not to say I didn't walk by the screen door repair section at Home Depot and look at them, but I did wait.

Another thing you should know about our screen door: it's installed in the perfect location and direction to be used as a sail. Well, one day this past winter, it achieved this task very well. The wind swept it open and slammed it as far as it would go, bending the new closer that I had so carefully installed.

Cue another walk by the screen door repair section and another decision to wait.

This spring, I finally managed to bend the closer so that it would work. The door was functional.

As winter is now approaching, considerations about the draftiness of the house come to mind. Chief of those considerations is the 50-year-old trailer windows that at times work about as well as a thick sheet of plastic.

Last week, I prepared the windows and frames for removal, but we didn't have any new windows yet. I was prepared to buy a new one but didn't feel right about it. After talking with Elysia, we decided to wait until this Monday to buy one.

Sunday evening on our way to church, we saw a pile of windows and a screen door for sale by the side of the road. The windows were not the same size as what we had, but we decided to go back and look at them on Monday to see if they were still for sale and if they would work.

It's now Monday morning and I'm looking at the pile of windows and the screen door. Each is labeled $25.

"I think I'll take four windows and the screen door," I tell the gentleman.

"Okay....20, 40, 60.....how about $100 for all of them?" He asks.

"That works for me!" I hand him the cash and prepare to take them home.

For anyone who's never had the joy of buying windows, the lot that I purchased totaled half the price of one window at retail.

After some labor and parts, two windows and the screen door are now installed.

Note the handle AND the new door direction!

Am I going to say that God will keep you from buying a door handle so that He can give you a whole door for the same price? No. I won't even say that God always wants you to wait because He has something bigger and better because that isn't always true.

There are two things that I will say.

First, God knows what we need far better than we do. Isaiah 46:9-10 says,

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"

If God can declare the end from the beginning, than He knows the end from the beginning. You and I need to trust Him when He says wait. He has a reason for it.

Second, God delights in doing good things for His children. Ephesians 3:20 reads,

"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,"

God loves to bless His children and to meet their needs above what they can imagine. Did we need a new door and windows? No. Had God promised them to us? No. In fact, 1 Timothy 6:8 says, "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." However, God did bless us and we are grateful for it.

I hope this post was an encouragement to you. Remember that God knows best. Even the smallest things (like a $20 door handle) are not overlooked by God.