That Is When God Stepped In (Part One)

2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Do you like taking tests?

Do you like having to take the same test over and over again to see if you will pass "this time"? It is kind of like the adult version of the SATs (which I remember hating when I was in high school).

Since I can remember, I have been taking the "Suzette, do you trust Me that I know what is best for you and nothing is too big for Me?" test.

When I was getting ready to attend college, the money was not there for me to attend. There were a few scholarships, but nothing to really make a huge dent in the cost. My father said that if he could not come up with the money, I would not be able to attend college because he did not want to go into debt (he never had been in debt and I don't blame him a bit).

That is when God stepped in.

After attending a wedding one Saturday afternoon, a gentleman from our church approached my father with an envelope. Inside was a check for the amount that was needed for me to attend college without needing a loan. That same gentleman later gave us his pick up truck so that we could sell it and use whatever we made from the sale towards my next college tuition bill. I graduated with my Bachelors in Music Education without a single student loan.

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Weddings can be expensive, and the dress is one thing no girl wants to scrimp on. But when you teach at a Christian school making half (maybe even less) of what teachers in the public school make, you can't be picky.

That is when God stepped in.

An uncle of mine approached my mother and said that because I was the first niece getting married, he wanted to purchase my dress for me- ignore the price tag. I had, what I believe, was the most beautiful dress for my wedding.

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I had wanted to play the piano when I was in junior high, but, since my father was in the ministry, the money for one was not there. As a 12 year old, I remember praying and asking God to let me play the piano, but I was unsure how that would happen.

That is when God stepped in.

My mother received a phone call from a woman in our church who told her that the school her daughter was attending had an old upright piano that they were giving away. Would we be interested? Absolutely! I began piano lessons with a cousin of mine and she couldn't believe my progress. Years later, in youth group, I asked for prayer because my piano was in really poor condition. One of the guys went home and told his parents. They then approached my parents and said that since none of their children were using their piano they would be willing for me to use it as long as we lived in the area. Exit, old piano. Enter beautiful piano. When we left that church, we returned the piano with grateful hearts.

I still have never purchased a piano. We have a piano, though. God used my in-laws to give us their piano when they moved into their new home. Now I am teaching Addie how to play.

 

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And still with all of these acts of His kindness, mercy, and provision for us, I still doubt when the next test is handed to me with a freshly sharpened number 2 pencil.

I go into panic mode.

I forget about all of the previous study sessions I have had.

I try figuring out ways to sneak out of the testing room.

But when God is proctoring the test..... well, there is no sneaking out.

Wednesday morning, as we were homeschooling in the office, I stepped onto a wet spot in the carpet. Truth be told, I thought Ian's diaper was leaking until Addie who was sitting in her desk chair yelped as her foot hit a cold, wet spot.

Oh no! Not again! was my first thought.

Two months ago we paid close to $300 dollars to be told that our air conditioner was leaking and that we would need to replace it within the year for anywhere between $2,500 to $6,000.

I called Brian who would be working until 8:15 p.m. in Clearwater (ETA home would be 9:30 p.m.). Not that there was anything that he could do, but I didn't want to worry alone.

I proceeded through my day, and decided to take the kids to the library before getting my hair cut. As I turned the key in the ignition...... nothing happened.

I laughed!

Really, God???? No, Seriously???? I thought. I wouldn't say it out loud because my children are too young to understand that I was not being disrespectful- just trying to figure out what He was up to.

I called Brian and told him our latest disaster.

"Stop! I can't take anymore!" he said in pure frustration.

I called my father-in-law to make sure that it was nothing more than a dead battery. He assured me that my description sounded that way to him. I got the kids out of the car and got ready to text my sister-in-law that I would not be able to get my hair cut.

And this is where God stepped in.

As I was texting, my mom-in-law called me. "We've been texting back and forth and you never mentioned that your battery died. Bob just called to see what I was doing to see if I could take you to get your hair cut."

Mom came over, we got the kids in the car and went for my hair cut. She entertained the kids way better than an iPhone ever could... and she brought M&Ms!!! After my hair cut, I asked my sister-in-law how much I owed her.

And God stepped in again.

"Nothing! Are you kidding me?" After tearing up and kissing her on the cheek, we headed to an auto store to get a battery. They didn't have one in stock so they ordered it for me and said it would be there in the early evening.

Mom dropped us off at home, and I was left to think about my dead car battery and my leaky air conditioner.... even though God had already shown me twice that He was in control of the situation and He had His eye on my no matter what I thought.

My dad called to check on the weather in our area (he lives about 5 minutes away from me but works an hour away) and to see if we were going to go to Awana. I told him that I couldn't leave the house because my battery was dead.

And that is when God stepped in for the third time that day.

"I'll be over after I change. I'll boost your car and then drive it to the store myself so you don't have to take the kids out."

The car battery situation was done by the time Brian came home from work with little damage to the bank account, but there was still the air conditioner to deal with.

On Monday, you will hear the end of our story and see whether or not we passed our test.