The Parable of the
Strawberries
A few years ago, Matt and I were
drowning in the depths of personal and financial struggles. Matt was unemployed.
Our marriage was teetering. Money was scarce. We desperately needed to pay our
mortgage. We were doing everything we
could to earn money. A kind acquaintance
took pity and hired Matt and I to paint her kitchen. I was grateful for the money, but I was
jealously mad: I was painting for someone with lots of money while we were desperate
to make ends meet. I also felt guilty
and angry farming my kids out. This was
not what I signed up for. As we painted,
we shared our frustrations. Tears of
frustration streamed down my face. Matt
kindly asked what would make me feel better. I wanted security, stability, and a giant tray of strawberries! So silly and
sad! Of all things, I wanted strawberries.
I dreamed of buying something I wanted not just what would fit into our
tight budget.
Fast forward a few days, I was
out in my neighborhood visiting a friend
from church. Her neighbor, another
friend from church, called to me across her fence. She told me she left something on my porch
for me. I went about my business. You will never guess what was sitting on my
porch. A flat of STRAWBERRIES from
Costco. I sobbed.
Those strawberries were a hug from
my loving Heavenly Father. It was as if
He was telling me: I know it is
hard. I am aware of you. I know you are hurting. I just want you to know how much I love you
and care about you. I want you to be
happy.
I wrote a thank you note telling
this woman she had no clue how much this meant to me. Later she told me she was at Costco and had a
feeling to buy 2 flats of strawberries., one for her, one for me. She felt stupid about it, thinking why would
I take Chris Rich strawberries? She followed the prompting and bought them
anyway. My loving Father in Heaven used
her to show me HIS love. Both of us
could clearly see that.
This experience is a powerful
reminder to me of Gods love. I know that
he lives, that he loves me, and is aware of my heart aches and desires. I can’t look at a strawberry without being
reminded that I am of worth and important to my Heavenly Father.
