The Value of a Promise

Sometimes the special touches that God provides are just what we need in the midst of a situation to let us know that He cares about us and is watching over our lives.

It seemed like an easy request, so I said, "OK," without thinking.

We had given each our sons a small rocking chair on their 2nd birthday. We have kept those small chairs for almost forty years, hauling them across the country and halfway back. Our oldest son decided to give his rocker to one of his daughters, and my wife asked me to get it down and repair it.

It was under the low part of the roof clear in the back of the garage attic, and since my idea of storage means weaving everything into place, this got complicated in a hurry. I could see the chair but didn't see a way of getting to it short of unloading half of the attic. My first thought was, "This will have to wait until spring. Besides, she's not even walking yet!" I began practicing my "Gee, Honey, I really tried hard but there's no way I can do it" speech.

Then I began thinking that she's going to ask if I at least moved it at all, so back up the ladder I went. I found I could reach it by worming my way back on some boxes, but the rocker sticking out the back of the chair seemed to catch on everything. Eventually by stages of alternating tug and then turn maneuvers I got it out, but one of the arms was missing.

It wasn't where the chair had been, nor anyplace else I could work the flashlight into. I looked throughout the storage half of the garage below but did not find it, and thought my only hope would be to wait for spring to unpack the whole garage. I began practicing my "Gee Honey" speech again.

I hadn't been looking at anything in particular, and had only gotten a few words into the speech when I noticed that I had inadvertently turned my face toward a white plastic egg-crate type container. As I looked closer, I found I was looking directly at part of the edge of a brown piece of wood inside the crate,which I recognized as part of the missing arm, even though it was almost entirely covered by other things in the crate. It had been God's Devine intervention and direction, and since He's done similar things often in the past, I was more delighted than surprised.

We met there, with Him smiling, as the "Gee Honey" speech died on my lips.

In Matthew 21:28-30, Jesus talked about certain man who had two sons, saying, "and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not."

Instead if reminding me that twice in the past hour I had tried to act like the second son, God kept me faithfully working to keep my word as He showed me yet again that there is much more value in one small thing done than in many great things promised.