Stefanick

Some call this “coincidence”…

I have just started reading “The Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne. I am only in first chapter, but it is really making me think about some things. One of the main points of deep soul confrontation for me is – love as it concerns the poor. Granted, being 9 months pregnant, I am not at the same place Shane was in college when he began spending the night on the streets with the homeless. I have 2.8 children and I know part of God’s call on my life is to care for them and “train them in the Way they should go.” And for me, that means spending the night in my own home. Anyway, at the close of chapter one Shane recounts a story about a 7 year-old homeless girl who told him she wanted to own a grocery store when she grew up. When asked why, she replied, “So I can give out food to all the hungry people.”

This evening my 5-year-old, Phoebe, asked me for empty jars and containers. She began creating a grocery store and we even made a Open/Closed sign. The store started on the front steps, but as the sun set and it grew colder she put up her “closed” sign and moved all her containers inside. The store reopened and she told me it was ready and it was time to come shopping. I chose a few jars that we decided were peanut butter and jelly. When I asked how much I owed…she said “It’s free…just take it.” I told her that was really kind, but asked “Why?” She replied, “What if there are people who don’t have any money?” My mind began spinning with all the thoughts my earlier readings had provoked. Some call this “coincidence,” I call this “God.” Phoebe has never read “The Irresistible Revolution.” I didn’t discuss any of this with her. Yet this is the first day of her life she chooses to open a “grocery store” in our home and give away the food. God is speaking through a five year old’s empty jars of peanut butter and jelly. May we be quick to listen and follow.