Answered Prayer

Two days ago I learned two things about God; #1 he has a really good sense of humor, #2 he doesn't work within our parameters.

We are moving. Have a mentioned this? My husband has been working two jobs and an opportunity has come up where he will only have to work one job and have 40 days less travel (yes, we counted). Moving involves a lot. Change of address, selling a home, packing, unpacking, and in my mind it all starts with an all important cardboard box. I know of these wonderful companies that provide boxes for you when you use their company to move you, and even stores that sell boxes, but, what fun would that be? And so for the last few weeks we have been on the hunt for cardboard boxes. In grocery stores, at the YMCA, through friends, any box right now is a jewel to me. Two days ago we hit a wall and have a lot more packing to do, but had run out of boxes. As we got into the car for an afternoon errand, I said to my oldest daughter, let's say a prayer that God will send us a box, even just one box, so that we can get some more packing done. Upon driving down a quaint little road I saw in the back of the parking lot (being honest, near the dumpster) of a locally owned hardware store a box (it almost seemed to glow), but then again that might have just been my excitement over answered prayer!
We pulled around to the back of the parking lot and I jumped out of our SUV and picked up the box, it was a real beauty and I had big plans for that box. I opened the back of our SUV and at that point I knew I was in the midst of an everyday miracle. The box that was divinely sent to us was so enormous it in no way fit into the back of our full size SUV.
I smiled immediately and knew that God was smiling too. I knew exactly what he was trying to communicate to me. When we pray we have exactly in mind what we need, down to the exact measurements. God wants to bless us and provide for us in ways that will never even fit into our small minded lives, in ways we cannot perceive if we just trust him and let him do the measuring. Yes, He does have a good sense of humor, but more than that He is a teacher and I think He saw a teachable moment and teachable moments can even happen by a dumpster in a parking lot.