 With the shelves nearly stripped of food items, you would have thought there’d have been a raid on sale items at a grocery store. But this was no grocery market—these shelves lined one wall in our kitchen pantry.
The only people who raided this pantry? Us. Not usually in a greedy way, unless searching for a snack led to impatience, or if I was late getting dinner ready and my family insisted they were "starving to death." This story took place years ago, before credit cards, computers, and cell phones, when moms often stayed at home to raise children. I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, and we were lucky to qualify for a government subsidy program to obtain our first home. We were excited to have a place of our own, but we didn't realize how expensive it could be to maintain. My husband made decent wages, but when appliances broke, the A/C quit cooling, the roof needed repair, or we were faced with other expenses that came out of the blue, we struggled to make ends meet. During one particularly lean week, there wasn't much left in the pantry and we'd have to wait a couple of days until Richard got paid, to buy anything. I scanned the nearly empty shelves, searching for something to use for dinner. What can you do when these are the only items left on the shelves: One can of yams. One mostly used box of Cheerios. One opened package of elbow macaroni (which I had to throw out due to mealy bugs). One partial bag of stale tortilla chips, and one can of mushroom soup. That was it. We were out of eggs and bread, too. Payday couldn’t come soon enough! Feeling desperate, I prayed. “Lord, please help me find a way to make a meal." Tending to chores, I put a load of laundry into the washer and hoped God heard my prayer. I washed and dried dishes from lunch. Then, as I put the silverware away, I noticed the casserole cookbook my mother-in-law had given me. It was sitting on top of the telephone stand next to the counter. I picked up the cookbook, not expecting to find a recipe—but I found one with the following ingredients: yams and mushroom soup. I was stunned. I followed the recipe, mixing the yams with the mushroom soup, adding cheese, onion powder and spices, then baked per the directions. My husband was amazed I'd found a recipe for the ingredients we had in the pantry, and I told him about the prayer. The girls weren't crazy about the casserole, but they ate it. They were happy to indulge in the leftover cornbread I'd made the day before, slathering it with peanut butter. I’ll always remember the day God answered that prayer. There were other times we humbly asked God for help during those early years. Sometimes we had to wait for answers; other times not. Sometimes what he provided was not what we wanted, but what we needed. His provision was always something good, often better than what we would have chosen for ourselves. God provides. You can always count on the blessing of His abundance! # “Ask and you it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8 Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com
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 Growing up in Virginia and Colorado, we were surrounded by the greenery of forests, meadows, and valleys. But being young, I didn’t pay much attention to details. Trees were trees. Flowers were flowers. Plants were plants.
Like most kids, I was fascinated with other things: watching a bug crawl across the sidewalk, trying to catch a butterfly, or collecting “lightning” bugs in a jar on warm summer nights. My father planted a lot of vegetation in our yard; however, the only specific plants I remembered were the “Fitzers” (Juniper) that lined the front of our house and the wild Mint that grew next to our back door. I'd pick the Mint for my mother to use in iced tea. There was a Crabapple tree in the front yard of my best friend's house. Her mother made crabapple jelly. (If over-ripe fruit fell to the ground, we'd pelt them at each other). A massive Willow tree in a neighboring yard served as our climbing tree. In Sunday School, we learned a song called “Oh, Who Can Make a Flower?” It was an early introduction to thinking about the reality of the natural world. It was my aunt's favorite song. We'd sing along with her when she took my cousin, my brother and me in her VW bug. I think of her when I hear that song. She had a rough, troublesome life that caused a lot of heartache, but she held on to her faith. Perhaps you are familiar with the song? Here are the lyrics to the first verse: “Oh, who can make a flower? I’m sure I can’t, can you? Oh, who can make a flower? No one but God, ‘tis true.” The “Oh, who can make..." theme continues with verses about a rainbow, raindrops, sunshine, and a butterfly. It took me a long time to pay attention to the intricate details of the world of nature, but once I actually "saw" what was there, I was astounded by the beauty and complexity of God’s creation. I am intrigued by those who have the skill to farm or garden, and I watch with interest as my husband tends to plants (he is a Master Gardener). I am in awe of the botanical world and the thousands of varieties of plants, shrubs, trees, and flowers in existence. Equally inspiring is the way plants respond to being cared for, the way they communicate, and the benefits they provide for us. Today's technological advances are exponentially far-reaching, yet there is still much that science cannot explain. The song about the flower expresses the seemingly inexplicable question, "Who can make a flower?” And then, comes the answer that can only be attributed to the Creator: "I'm sure I can't, can you? Oh, who can make a flower? No one but God, 'tis true." # Song: "Oh, Who Can Make a Flower?" Public Domain. Grace W. Owens, Clara Lee Parker, 1926. Photo: N. Johnson |
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