My slightly scratched up solid oak clawfoot table came from the side of the road – probably about 15 years ago or so. I found it sitting on the cement next to our neighborhood dumpster. A neighbor helped me to carry it home, and it became the centerpiece in the kitchen at my home.
Many plates of Mama Mac meatballs were served on that table over the years, and quite a few tears shed there as well. Hours and hours of homework assignments were completed at the table too, evidenced by some of it accidentally etched in the wood when my son pressed too hard with his pencil. Stories were shared, and laughter could always be heard, especially when someone received the “half” cup of coffee, or the extra-long fork, or during one of the infamous exchanges of indoor snowball fights.
I recently moved that kitchen table into my new home, and was upset that I had to take a mortgage. I was also not pleased that I had to remove the leaf from that table in order for it to fit properly in my new, much smaller dining area. I was certain I would never find two other matching custom-made white chairs from my favorite store in Saginaw, so that four people could now sit at the table in my new home.
But God…
Walking out of a nursing home one evening, a gentleman asked me to hold the door for him while he walked out with two chairs… two white chairs… the very same, exact chairs as the two I currently owned. “Where are you going with those?” I asked. “I’m going to put them on Facebook Marketplace!” And just like that… I purchased two matching chairs for $20. Score!
A couple of months later, at the very same place, it happened again. “Maam, could you hold that door open for me?” Another gentleman was on his way to the dumpster with a gorgeous teal-colored wooden bed frame. I promptly re-routed him to the back of my SUV, and that bed now sits perfectly in my room, matching all of the decor I’d chosen. Score!
I still don’t like having a mortgage, but I sure do love my place. I have a brand new kitchen, a cute little dining area, and oh my goodness… it’s just right. Friday I had friends over for dinner, Saturday a girlfriend of mine stopped over for dinner after work, then we sat on the porch and chatted with our other friend on speaker phone, and today an old neighbor friend popped over for a visit. Two of my friends come over every couple of weeks on a Sunday evening for our book club meeting on line, a family of four is coming in a few weeks for dinner, and on Thursday, my “just like a daughter to me” friend Nishelle is coming for a visit from Arizona! And best of all, I fed my grandchildren lunch at that table last Saturday, and Lyla piped up after finishing her meal and informed me, “Gummy, your grandchildren would like some ice cream now.”
Scripture says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. I think that’s because He knows the heart of our desires. He gave me a table because He knows I love people. He gave me a pretty bed because… well, maybe just because He loves me 🙂
You know what? I sure do love my kitchen table, but I love the people who gather at it with me a million times more!
Who wants to come over and pull up a chair next? It’s soup season soon!
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
PS) About that mortgage… I don’t worry about it anymore. I’ve got two decades’ worth of history with the Lord taking care of my every need as a single mother. Why would I worry now? He takes care of me, and He is all about the details, right down to the last two matching chairs, and the beautiful new bed frame.
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