As I fell to my knees in thanksgiving, another memory surfaced, and given this particular feast day, I want to pull one story from the archives and share once again. Although this did not occur on Thanksgiving, it did involve a Turkey and I have not looked at one quite the same since this incident. God does indeed unravel our Gordian Knots, clothes us, pays our bills, and sometimes does the extraordinary through the very ordinary.
A rescue helicopter appeared and lowered a rope. A rescuer yelled down for the man to grab the rope and they would hoist him up to safety. The man waved them off. God was going to rescue him and he didn’t need the helicopter. The crew shook their heads at the man’s foolishness and moved off.
Two men came by in a row boat and offered to take him with them. The man refused their help also, again stating God was going to rescue him.
A surge of water swept the man off the roof and he drowned. Standing before God he asked why He hadn’t saved him as He had promised.
God replied, “I sent you a helicopter and a row boat, what more did you want?” Author Unknown
I thought about the story as I drove home that afternoon. Okay, whatever God sent my way, by whatever means, I would not decline the offer. I would look for and accept a helicopter or a row boat, but I didn't expect Him to send me a turkey.
A twenty pound turkey, thawed and ready to cook, sat in my kitchen sink. I really didn't believe it just materialized out of thin air. Someone had to put it there, but who, and why? Only one person, besides the family, had a key to the house, my mother.
I called her, and listened to a story almost as amazing as if the bird had suddenly materialized out of nothing. .
The freezer belonging to a woman on the other side of town malfunctioned, requiring her to remove all the food. Most the woman was able to either cook or transfer to the freezer in her refrigerator, but the twenty pound turkey wouldn't fit and it was too much for her family to eat without re-freezing the leftovers. She offered it to a neighbor. The neighbor accepted it, then decided she didn't want it. and she passed it to a friend. That friend accepted it, decided she didn't want it either and she in turn passed it on to someone else.
This was repeated over and over until the bird crossed town and landed at my mother's doorstep. Since my dad hates turkey, my mother chose not to keep it, and brought it down to the house and set it in my sink - just before I arrived.
I marveled at the timing. Instead of a bare pantry, we had enough food to last for several days. By then we had received a long over due paycheck and were able to re-stock our pantry.
We were flat broke with several more days to payday. With three kids to feed and a pantry nearly bare, things looked pretty grim. I mentioned my concern to a close friend at work.
"Remember when God paid your insurance? If He will do that, he will surely feed your family as well. Trust Him."
She then told me this story.
A flood ravaged a small community, forcing many residents onto their roofs to await rescue. One man, looked at the water already lapping against his ankles and realized he couldn't wait too much longer to be rescued. Desperate, he cried out to God to rescue him. God promised He would.
Two men came by in a row boat and offered to take him with them. The man refused their help also, again stating God was going to rescue him.
A surge of water swept the man off the roof and he drowned. Standing before God he asked why He hadn’t saved him as He had promised.
God replied, “I sent you a helicopter and a row boat, what more did you want?” Author Unknown
I thought about the story as I drove home that afternoon. Okay, whatever God sent my way, by whatever means, I would not decline the offer. I would look for and accept a helicopter or a row boat, but I didn't expect Him to send me a turkey.
A twenty pound turkey, thawed and ready to cook, sat in my kitchen sink. I really didn't believe it just materialized out of thin air. Someone had to put it there, but who, and why? Only one person, besides the family, had a key to the house, my mother.
I called her, and listened to a story almost as amazing as if the bird had suddenly materialized out of nothing. .
The freezer belonging to a woman on the other side of town malfunctioned, requiring her to remove all the food. Most the woman was able to either cook or transfer to the freezer in her refrigerator, but the twenty pound turkey wouldn't fit and it was too much for her family to eat without re-freezing the leftovers. She offered it to a neighbor. The neighbor accepted it, then decided she didn't want it. and she passed it to a friend. That friend accepted it, decided she didn't want it either and she in turn passed it on to someone else.
This was repeated over and over until the bird crossed town and landed at my mother's doorstep. Since my dad hates turkey, my mother chose not to keep it, and brought it down to the house and set it in my sink - just before I arrived.
I marveled at the timing. Instead of a bare pantry, we had enough food to last for several days. By then we had received a long over due paycheck and were able to re-stock our pantry.
And now, every Thanksgiving when I look at the turkey, I see images of helicopters, rowboats, and a turkey sitting in my kitchen sink. I bow my head and say, "Thank you." This year I am adding thanks for a home. God again took the impossible and made it possible.
What a precious story! Thank you!
ReplyDelete~Anne
Thank you, Anne. Thought it was worth a repeat. May you have a blessed Thanks giving.
ReplyDelete