Today, Chloe told me that Erlin's birthday is coming up and that no one had been remembering to give money to him lately. She was worried that there might not be enough money for him to get a nice birthday present.
She decided she wanted to have a bake sale.
Today.
In our driveway.
With a 30 mph wind blowing.
And very few neighbors in sight.
We don't live on a busy road. We live in a small neighborhood and I feared she would have very few customers.
Wanting to spare her feelings, I suggested that maybe she should wait until tomorrow when the neighborhood kids got off the bus. The bus stop is in front of our house so it might get her some business.
Her face fell and she looked so disappointed that I finally said she should just go ahead and do whatever she wanted to do.
In my heart, I thought she would be fortunate to sell a few dollars worth of cookies.
She got busy and made some Easter themed sugar cookies. By the time she was done, it was late afternoon.
Surely, she was about to be disappointed.
I wish I could say that I prayed for her success but I was busy doing other things and not paying close attention.
About a half hour later she came running in, breathless and excited.
"Mom! I'm almost out of cookies! I have $8!"
I couldn't believe it! I looked out the window and noticed that another neighbor had stopped by. She left empty-handed but when I went outside, the little kids (who had now joined the sale) all chorused,
"She's coming back to buy some!"
Sure enough, a few minutes later she drove up. There were only a few cookies left and I couldn't imagine what she was going to buy. She handed them a ten dollar bill and said she only wanted two cookies, one for her and one for her husband.
After we thanked her profusely and she walked away, Jordan looked at me with huge, round eyes and said,
"She gave us TEN dollars!"
He was so amazed!
And so was I.
And humbled.
I had tried to tell my daughter not to trust God for a simple bake sale. God had put something on her heart and I, although well-meaning, had tried to talk her out of it.
I am so thankful that I was able to be a spectator as God chose to bless the work of a little girl and remind me what He can do with even the smallest efforts.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
Chloe runs to show me her money!
God is faithful!
Some little kids and their mama learned a valuable lesson in faith today.
