This weekend was registration weekend here at New Tribes Bible Institute. It is a time full of excitement and energy as new students arrive for the first time, and familiar faces of returning students fill the halls. I really love registration weekend. This year was going to look different than previous years as Josh was now running the bookstore here at the Bible school. I was excited to be helping him during this busy time. Unfortunately my day took a bit of a turn, and it quickly became clear that we were not going to be joining Josh over at the bookstore.
We attended a wedding that morning and dropped Josh off at the school. I was going to lay the boys down for some naps and then we would head over after they were rested. I was just going to get Isaac some milk first. I opened the refrigerator and was met with an overpowering waft of warm stench.
The night before I had mentioned to Josh that the water from the fridge (filtered) was not as cool as it usually is. Josh was up pretty late (2:30am!) fixing the problem...or so we thought. It seems as though it was still broke. The entire refrigerator was not working!
I could tell from the smell that things were bad. I asked my family for advice of what I could save and what I had to toss. They sent me a list from foodsafety.gov and unfortunately, there was a lot of tossing involved!
As Emma and I started throwing out the food, I wondered to myself: Why couldn't this have happened when our fridge was bare? Why did to have to be this weekend? Why after I just went shopping?
As I threw full containers of spoiled yogurt in the trash, on top of pounds of rotten ground turkey, on top of gallons of milk my tears started to flow.
Emma asked me why I was crying. We could just go to the store again, right?
I really hesitated using the word "trial" in my post title. Was this really a trial? I mean, hasn't the last year with Josie's accident and everything with myself and Ezra been the trial?
Well, those sure were trials, but in that moment, this felt like one too. Now I am crying and my daughter is looking at me like I have lost my mind, and I am faced with the fact that yes, this IS a big deal for our family, but NOT for our God! Hasn't he shown is that time and time again?
"You know what, Emma? I don't know why I am crying. I think I am just worrying about how we are going to handle all this. Worried about the repair bill and worried about what we will eat the rest of this month, but that is silly. I know God will provide. Doesn't He ALWAYS provide?"
Emma agrees, and my tears stop. We start to play "what's the grossest thing in the fridge" and giggle over how stinky something is, or how moldy strawberries can get in a short period of time.
Oh, and you know what? God has blessed (and continues to) our socks off.
The teaching part of the title? That wasn't me teaching Emma, it was God teaching me. Now if I would just be a quick learner...
