I wanted to share a story of a time recently when God’s blessings were overflowing.
Back story: Two years ago our washing machine quit spinning, so my husband and I took it apart. One little plastic piece was broken and that is what made the whole thing agitate. It only cost $20 thankfully, and we got almost 2 more years of use from it. The washer eventually quit doing anything other than slow spin and slow agitate. However, it still washed our clothes. Our dryer always took forever to dry things which is why I liked the clothesline in nicer weather so much. Yet, it still worked when it was needed.
Anyway, I had to do the children’s story at church the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I was thinking on Saturday evening, as I was moving clothes from the washer to the dryer, about what I would say. I thought about how I was thankful for the washer and dryer even though they didn’t work that well. I was feeling pretty good that I could be thankful about this. Then God said, “Are you really thankful?”. I thought, “Yes” as I pushed the button on the dryer. Nothing happened. I decided that this must be a test. I prayed that I would pass.
I found the owners manual and tried to do a few of the troubleshooting steps, but the dryer still didn’t work. So, my husband and I took the dryer apart, cleaned it, and did a few other things. We spent almost 2 hours working on it, but it still didn’t work.
The next morning I started telling the kids (and the congregation) the story. I finished by telling them that I was thankful for the time I got to spend with my husband, I was thankful for all of the things I do have (family, warm house, etc.), and I was even thankful for all of the use I had gotten out of the washer and dryer. I said I could even hang a clothesline through the house and still be thankful.
My husband decided to go find a dryer as cheaply as he could after we ate our church Thanksgiving dinner. My mom decided to go with him. Do you know what they brought home a few hours later? A wonderful scratch and dent, (They look perfect though, but were much cheaper than some others and still have the warranty.) high efficiency, front loading washer and dryer. They have been the biggest blessing. It was more than I ever dreamed of and hoped for. My parents gave them to us, but I hope to be able to pay them back someday.
Not only was I blessed beyond belief by the new washer and dryer, but I think it will save us money on our water bill. Our water softener’s average daily usage has gone down over 100 gallons per day since we got the washer. The dryer takes less than 1/2 hour for big loads of towels and diapers because the washer spins out so much water. Some very full clothing loads only take 15-20 minutes to dry. I still don’t know if I can thank my parents enough for the things they do for us. I do praise God for all of His blessings. Most importantly I want to thank Him for the blessings of the people in my life because they are more important than the things we have. Still, I do thank him for this gift because it is making my life a little easier.
Here is a picture of my mom, brother, and my three oldest children watching the new washer spin. It doesn’t take much to entertain us. 🙂 