He's in it all

We often remind clients that God is aware and a part of everything in our lives. We cannot hide from Him, nor do we ever take Him by surprise. We are continually reminded of this fact when God shows up in the little things of life.

Several years ago, as I prepared for a missions trip (teaching English in Macedonia), I realized that I did not own a dependable, trustworthy camera. As I am not a world traveler or a skilled photographer, and because this trip marked a turning point in my life as well as one of my most exciting adventures, I wanted to be sure I had a reliable camera with which to record my memories.

One of the other things I am not (in addition to world traveler/photographer) is a yard sale enthusiast. This is not because I have any aversions to used items. In fact, one of my most prized possessions came from the dumpster behind Water Street Rescue Mission’s Thrift Store. No, distancing myself from yard sales stems from the abundant accumulation of “things” (qualified “yard saleable” stuff) left in my home by my three children and six grandchildren - all provided free of charge! However, as I prepared for the Macedonia trip, I ventured to a neighborhood yard sale – in my own neighborhood -where I found a Kodak 35mm camera (with tattered case) for only $5. When my neighbor heard I was headed for Macedonia, she offered the camera at the reduced price of $2.50. As a result, my Kodak and I preserved some wonderful memories from both Macedonia and Vienna.

Somehow that leads me to Christmas. You see, last year, my son and grandson woke up at 4 a.m. on black Friday to camp out in the Mall parking lot so they could purchase a digital camera at a great price for my Christmas gift. Since that time, my trusty Kodak has laid idle in a dining room cupboard. This year at Christmas, my children and I were all snapping photos with our digital cameras. My son and grandson, who had just returned from a weekend-before-Christmas trip to St. Louis (for a pro-football game) wanted to share the pictures taken on their trip by downloading them onto my daughter’s lap top. And so he said, “Mom, where is the computer cord for your camera?”

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays had ended, and the house guests had gone home, I began to think about the photos I had taken and needed to download to my home computer. As I searched for my camera computer cord, my son’s words echoed in my ear. At my next opportunity, I asked my daughter if she recalled where that cord had been placed after they used it. She confidently stated that she had given it to one of the grandchildren to put away. Several phone calls later and still no cord, I was pretty much resigned to purchasing a new one.

About that time, a friend invited me to a birthday party for her 10-year-old daughter. Although I couldn’t attend the party, I purchased a gift for her – a scrap-booking kit which had been reduced from a price I could not afford to one I could easily afford. Pleased with my purchase, I wrapped the gift to present Sunday morning when I picked the family up for church. I was, however, bothered by the fact that this family had no camera and couldn’t afford one for the child. During my Sunday morning devotions, I was reminded of the old Kodak in the cabinet and strongly felt I should give it to the child. When I opened the case to check the batteries and film, out popped the missing camera cord.

Had I not been prompted to give that camera away, the missing cord may have remained hidden for who knows how long. It could even have eventually been discarded. Now, not only was my gift complete, but the rightness of passing on the camera He provided for my trip was confirmed. This was just another reminder of how many times each day I need to acknowledge the reality of His presence in all things big and small in my life.

Vicki Bollman, Women’s Ministry