Providence- n.- The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction:
It is my belief that our steps are ordered of God. In everyday life there are small things that occur that we attribute to mere coincidence; these make life a little bit more interesting. Sometimes those coincidences add up or are so significant that we have to believe there is a Higher Power planning those events before they happen. This is providence. The Portage Resale Shop has experienced God’s providence many times, but it never ceases to amaze me how some small events can show just how much God is in control.
This week Micah and I went and picked up several pieces of furniture from a home in Chesterton. One item they gave us was a futon mattress. Often times we are offered parts of items, or things that are incomplete. Because of our extreme lack of space, we sometimes have to refuse these items because it would not be feasible to take everything. This mattress, however, was in good shape and we were at peace with taking it. We tucked it away in our furniture shop, hoping that the right person or need would arise. Today, a couple who relocated to the area came by and dropped off some of the things that will not fit in their new home. One item they were skeptical about giving us was a very nice futon frame. They decided to keep their mattress for their dog to sleep on. So now we have a futon frame and a mattress. Not 15 minutes later, a nice lady came in asking if we had any futons that could handle a larger person. The new “set” we had fit the bill to a T. God provided the parts, we provided the space, and in His very short time, we helped provide for a family with a very specific need. This is a small thing, not a matter of life or death, but we see providences like this quite often. Check out the discussions section on the “Friends of the Portage Resale Shop” Group page on Facebook. Last September, we posted a similar themed story called “God knows your needs even before you do.” We are thankful that we can be vessels of the blessings.
We have changed over to summer clothing in the shop; there are lots of new items going into the showroom daily. We are always accepting donations; current specific needs include mattresses, men’s jeans, plus sized clothing, and books. We are also collecting unusable children’s shoes in a cooperative effort with Project Northwest Indiana. We will release the details of this interesting project soon, but need to collect as many pairs of children’s shoes as possible. Those that still have life left in them will be redistributed, but the unusable, worn out, trashed shoes we have another purpose for. This month we were able to celebrate two “graduations” from the Gabriel’s Horn Shelter, your donations enabled us to help two families with furniture and clothing to help reestablish their lives. Thank you for all of your support and help. We are always looking for new volunteers.