The Mailbox Miracle

Things start to tighten up financially in October as the year comes to a close.  Once-a-year bills are due. The family gathers together more often, stretching the grocery budget.  Then Christmas shopping brings on the grand finale, making my list and checking it twice to bless everyone in my world! 

At half-nest I am also intentionally putting “memory maker” events on the calendar before everyone is gone.  We took a couple of extra mini-vacations feeling that these extra-budget activities were approved by God!  Unexpected expenses followed, bringing me to the point where even Dave Ramsey wouldn’t have been able to make our ends meet!  As the days in 2011 were marked off of the calendar, I knew we needed a God-sized miracle. 

Before leaving home Monday, December 26^th I wrote out checks for the bills in hand, marking their due date on the back of the sealed envelopes.  My savings had been emptied, and the checkbook balance was at zero.  Careful timing of depositing these in the mailbox upon returning from our memory making mini-trip would be crucial! 

Upon returning on Wednesday, I noticed the pile of envelopes and MAILED all of the bills before thinking through my “careful timing plan!”  By Friday I realized that I was in great trouble.  Oh, no . . . I wasn’t supposed to mail ALL of the bills that day!  An idea of how I could help God out came to mind! 
Family and friends had generously joined together to give money towards the purchase of a brand new sewing machine, and my daughter was guarding this gift to keep me from “stealing from Peter to pay Paul!”  A quick call to my Sewing Machine Bank would solve the problem.  Of course, I would be sure to reimburse this sorely needed withdrawal in January.

Friday afternoon, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my precious daughter and sweet son-in-law come to the front door with a large box…a very large box!  What in the world could this be, and what brings them here so unexpectedly?  As I opened the door, they burst in yelling, “SURPRISE!” 

“Oh my!  Oh no!  You shouldn’t have!  You really, really shouldn’t have!”

What a surprise!  Before I could put in my request for the loan, they had taken the gift funds and the liberty to PURCHASE THE EMBROIDERY SEWING MACHINE!  Everyone celebrated with me at the early timing of this great gift.  As we unpacked the sewing machine from the box, tears began to roll down my face.  They were tears of joy and tears of fear!

I prayed myself to sleep that night asking God for a mailbox miracle!  I woke up with the prayer on my heart, “Oh God, ONLY YOU can provide the help we so desperately need at this point.  Please send a mailbox miracle!"

By the time the mailman came on Saturday, I had somewhat forgotten my desperate cries.  Bringing in the stack of mail, I sat it down without looking through it.  Later in the day, I realized that I still had not opened the mail.  I returned to the stash to find a blank envelope nestled in the middle of the advertisements and late Christmas cards. 
Could this be? Is it really . . . the prayed for mailbox miracle!? 

Quickly, but almost trembling, I peeked into the anonymous plain envelope only to find the answer to my prayers.  This gift, a money-order for the exact amount needed in my check book, had been hand-delivered by an anonymous friend I will consider God’s angel.  God was faithful to me once again, and I am thankful for His amazing grace.