Consider the Lilies...

About a month ago Pietro's mom gifted us with some money to go clothes shopping. Andrew and Shailey specifically had outgrown all of their fall/winter clothing from last year. Jonathan and Seth also have a pretty sparse and rather worn wardrobe, fine for everyday at home, but not really up to snuff by Italian standards. Forearmed with a bulleted list of the older kids needs and our gift money in hand (read tucked safely inside the inner zippered pocket of a pickpocket safe ameribag) we set out to the used clothing stalls at the Saturday morning market and nailed it. Got every single item the older two needed.

Last week as I was hanging laundry my attention was drawn once again to the sad condition of most of Seth and Jonathan's clothes from last fall/winter (most of these handmedowns from Andrew's days). My immediate reaction was to ask myself what *I* could do. I could post an ISO boys clothes sizes 10-12 post on a facebook group I am part of that is for christian homeschooling moms from the Navy and NATO bases here in our area. I kind of exhaled the idea out to God through the clothespins in my mouth. This is already something notable because in the past I probably just would have hupped to it post haste. I sensed a check in my spirit and that all familiar feeling: "Ask me....". So I did, finished hanging my laundry and came back inside to continue school with the kids.

The next time I checked my messages the first thing I saw, that literally seemed to jump off the screen in flashing letters was a post on the Naples homeschoolers facebook group. It read "3 bags of boys clothes size 10-12 to give away, any takers?" This is not a normal occurrence on this group as usually it is just for posting homeschool related books, co-ops or fieldtrips.

He continues to provide. He continues to challenge me to a life of childlike dependence. He continues to prove that the God who dresses the lilies of the field, takes personal pride and ownership in dressing His children.

I sometimes wonder if one day, once we have learned to walk with Him like little children in this way, if things will get easier. Whether they do or whether they don't I know one way or the other His praise will ever be on our lips.

"And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil or spin and yet not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned as one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow, will He not much more clothe you?"