As I was ending the day, I thought, “it’s a buttered egg noodle kind of day.”
To those of you who are new to our ministry, that statement wouldn’t mean anything. But to those who have been with us for years, you probably know what I am talking about.
You see, there was a time in my life that was quite challenging, financially. It has been many years now, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.
At the worst of that dark time, I had very little money. There was a time when all I could afford to buy to eat was egg noodles. It was the cheapest thing I could think of. I boiled them, added some butter, and that was my meal. For several months, that’s how it was.
Oddly enough, it was also a time when I was seeking God more than I ever had before. His presence was in my life, stronger than I had ever known. His presence, but not His provision. I don’t know why. It is just how it was.
When I think back to that time, I am not bitter. I am not disappointed. I am thankful. I am thankful for those buttered noodles.
I know people who have gone through difficult seasons and come out bitter. They refuse to look back at those times because they were hard. There was lack. There was disappointment.
But when I think, “it’s a buttered egg noodle kind of day,” to me that says, “it’s a day to sit and think on the faithfulness of my God.”
You see, I have been looking for property for a couple years. It is my heart’s desire. I want property where I can plant a garden and grow my own vegetables. A place where I can plant fruit trees and berries and harvest them. This has been on my prayer list for some time. I had so hoped to find something before last years planting season. But that didn’t happen.
Therefore, instead of becoming disappointed, last year I decided to build a raised bed garden and grow a few vegetables. I chose to “rejoice in what I can do now and not dwell on what I cannot do.”
At the end of the day, I was at peace. I had a small raised bed garden ready for top soil and vegetables. As I looked at it, my thought was, “it’s a buttered egg noodle kind of day.” In other words, God has been faithful to meet me where I was that day.
The Bible says to not be anxious about tomorrow, live for today. Therefore, since I could not plant the big garden I desired, I did what I could do, that day.
During that challenging time in my life that I spoke of, I lived day by day. You know what? God met me every single day. He did not let me down one day. He was so faithful to me. He walked with me through it. He, alone, brought me out. When I think about that time, I don’t think so much about the day He brought me out. I think of the many days He walked with me in the midst of it.
It reminds me of that song that says; He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.
That is how I felt during that time. Sure, it was hard. Yes, there was great lack. But I was not alone. It was there I found His faithfulness. It was there, in one of the dark times of my life, that I discovered the depths of His faithfulness.
You may find yourself in such a place today. Perhaps you are in a challenging season. Don’t let that season lie to you. He is faithful. Yes, He will bring you out. But more than that, He will walk with you through it. He will never leave you nor forsake you. If you keep your eyes on Him, you will see His faithfulness in the darkest times of your life. I know this truth from experience. You can too. Keep your eyes on Him.
Tonight, as I sit here, eating buttered noodles, thinking of my day, I think of Him. And I am thankful. Thank you, God! Thank you for your faithfulness to me. Thank you for your faithfulness to all of us. Especially during the dark times. I stand in awe of you. We stand in awe of you. And we give you thanks. Thank you, Lord.
Meditate on this:
Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Psalm 36:5
