The Perfect Mistake
My Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was
building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages
in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his
glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier
actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his
pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed
shut.
His brand new glasses were heading for China!
The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children.
He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was really upset by
the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as
he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my
time and money to your work, and now this."
Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the
United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in
China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in
Chicago.
The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in
supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you
for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept
through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I
was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of
replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I
experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in
prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the
covers, they found a pair of glasses wedged between two blankets.
The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still
gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued: "Folks, when I tried on
the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I
want to thank you for being a part of that."
The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary
surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There
were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting
quietly
in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter
realized
the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.
There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him! Perhaps
it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you, God, for not
allowing my car to start this morning." He may have been saving your
life from a car accident. "Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me lose my
glasses; I'm sure they'll be put to good use or there is a lesson to be
learned."
I have to remember this in these times of trial with my own family.
May GOD bless your week. Look for the perfect mistakes.
God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by
Christ Jesus. - Phil 4:19
[ Author Unknown -- Submitted by: Dee ]
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