My Oven is Trashed

One evening last week three-year-old Michael Ray was chasing Isaac through the house in a wild game of "whack the big brother" (a form of entertainment I will NEVER understand!). When he suddenly swung his weapon- a 1 X 4 pine board, missed his target, and connected with the all-glass oven door. Shattering glass spilled onto the floor, sounding much like water overflowing, according to Stephanie. I was at my dad's house a mile away during all the excitement and arrived home after the mess was cleaned up.

Michael Ray, explaining what happened to the oven door.

Judging by the title of this post, you probably came here expecting to read lamentations about my worthless oven and how a large family makes due without this invaluable modern convenience.

Nah.

Instead, I want to share with you some pretty amazing things that have happened as a result of this "mishap".

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised by my own response to this situation. When Michael told me what had happened that night (with Terry and Stephanie filling in the details), I shrugged and asked Terry if he could order a replacement. Just. Like. That.

The next day I was talking to Mom on the phone about some serious issues that she has been dealing with lately when the call-waiting beeped. I put Mom on hold and clicked over to give Terry some information regarding the stove. After I clicked back, I explained to Mom about the stove and she began telling me how sorry she was about our "tragedy". "No Mom. This isn't a tragedy," I assured her. "Cancer is a tragedy. A sick child is a crisis. But this? This is just a stove!"

Honestly, there have been times in my life when I would have fallen apart over a busted oven door. I once had a melt down over a broken tea cup! But by God's grace, I am learning to hold those things loosely that have no eternal value and focus instead on my genuine treasures. That oven is temporal, but my little boy is not.

Another surprising benefit of our broken oven door is that Haley, who is the proprietor of a successful home-baking business, specializing in delicious cookies and pies, needed to use my 75-year-old dad's oven and so wound up spending the whole day with her grandpa. She enjoyed herself so much that she said she would like to make this a new practice, even after the oven door is replaced.

According to one of my very favorite verses in the Bible, Romans 8:28, God uses all circumstances-every big and little thing that happens in our lives- for our good and His glory.

Sometimes He even uses a broken oven door.

What is the Lord using to teach you to let go of temporal values?



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