Overwhelmed by Grace

A couple of weeks ago, I asked for some advice from my female Facebook friends about a set of Christmas dishes that was given to our church for their rummage sale.  I'd asked for an opinion from someone else and she said they were cute but she wouldn't use them.  I told her I'd return them to the church to which she replied "they really are cut but I would never use them".  I bought them anyway because we used to have Christmas china around here, and quite an extensive collection of Pfaltzgraff that we used for holidays, company, and special occasions.

MY plan was to purchase some other pieces to go with the set from e-bay and put together something I used to have.  I also looked on KSL.com and that's when I saw the Pfaltzgraff Winterberry Christmas dish collection listed for $35.  The lady lived in West Jordan, closer to my mom than me.  The lady also had a really nice set of Pfaltzgraff Naturewood for sale for $95.  Several days went by and the woman never called my mom and the dishes went from cute to "really are cute", and they were only $10 so I bought them and told my mom to "never mind".

The lady called my mom back and my mom went and got the Christmas dishes.  OK, so much for never mind.  I went and picked them up when I picked up young son last weekend and brought them home.  I was happy because there was more than service for four...there was service for at least 12 (varying quantities of plates and bowls) and there were serving pieces like bowls, a gravy boat, a platter, and a creamer.  All I needed were salt and pepper shakers, a butter dish, and maybe a sugar bowl to go with the creamer.

I couldn't afford the other set though, but later on the day I picked them up and paid my mom, she offered to buy them.  I got home and unpacked the Christmas dishes and was so disappointed to see the awful looking silverware marks in the plates.  They looked as if they'd been well-used, so I called my mom and told her to never mind getting the other set.  The woman had told her she wouldn't be available until Monday to pick them up so my mom said she'd call her and tell her she'd changed her mind.

After that, I went to the interweb to see what removed scratches from stoneware and it turns out Barkeeper's Friend cleanser does a pretty decent job at this.  I cleaned up the Christmas dishes and then called my mom back and told her if she'd like to get the other set for me, I'd like to have it.

I got it yesterday.  It's a set of Naturewood.  It's a garden motif and it's nice.  I'm very thankful for it, but as God does, He sometimes uses things to teach me lessons in life.  The lesson for today is this:

Joel 2:25

God is GOOD.  All the time, and in His Providence, He provided restoration of things that were lost.  Wendi took her dishes when she left and we've been making do with what we had.  Last Thanksgiving, she was kind enough to loan us some nice dishes for the meal, but they are and were hers and while I'm thankful for the loan, I'd just as soon not have to ask for anything.  I didn't...her mom did and she did it for her mom, not me.  I get that.

The thing was though, that both collections of dinnerware she had are retired.  Both the patterns God let me find and get are still being made.  New pieces are available.  Not only that, but the Naturewood set my mother bought for me from this woman included a 16 piece place setting for four that is brand new in the box.  And it came with several serving pieces.  

When my mom picked it up on Monday, the lady also told her she found three more items for the Christmas dishes.  There was one more dinner plate, a butter dish, and a sugar bowl.

Of course, by now, you could chalk this up to circumstance, or happenstance, but like I said, there is often more to the story than what meets the eye.  That came today.  Today's sermon was about green, the garden, stewardship of the planet.  It was a great sermon and there was a small reminder in there for yours truly about not settling for good when God has best in mind.

Remember, MY plan was to build around the "cute" but retired set of Pfaltzgraff.  In God's providential way, He provided something that maybe I wouldn't have picked out for myself. (There's a story elsewhere in there that I can't talk about right now!)  

OK, it's a stretch even for me, except that you should read Joel 2:25.  God is restoring a lot to my life.  My middle son came up last week with his wife.  They had dinner with us.  Slowly, but surely, that relationship is being restored.  

Things are being replaced.  The Pfaltzgraff by itself to procure would have cost me over $1000.  I got it for $130 and it only cost me $35.  There is enough for Christmas dinner and I just need a couple of serving bowls for Thanksgiving.  We have enough room to entertain and enough plates to do so.  I'm expecting lots of company for the holidays.  I know God gives us what we need and then gives us reason to use it.  

But dishes?  C'mon Coop!  Are you really that dumb"

Well here's where the story gets kinda odd.  I was asked to drive my truck over to some guy's house who had some furniture to donate to the church.  A buddy of his just "happened" to be walking by before I got there and hung around to help him load my truck.  I'm hurt and can't lift stuff.  We get to the church, and while they're unloading stuff, I look at the remnants of the rummage sale, and that's when I see them:

Five plastic Old Fashioned glasses that match my new dishes.

Mine!

The story only makes sense after this part:  The guy we got the furniture from was a little bit(?) intoxicated.  On the way back to the church he told me he wasn't sure if he was gonna be able to get everything done and then his buddy walked by and the pastor called him and then I showed up right on time.  He tells me that some people call that coincidence but we agreed that there is NO such thing.

I told you that sometimes God uses things to teach me lessons.  There's one about good and best.  The brand new $10 set of Pfaltzgraff Christmas dishes that were "cute" but retired was good.  It wasn't best...the $35 dollar set that needed some elbow grease was.

I wouldn't have picked out the Naturewood set for myself, but God provided, through my mother (He does that A LOT!) and I'm grateful and thankful to have them.  I can save the glass goblets for company and have the plastic glasses for every day.

Sometimes God knows what's best and when we let Him have His way, then best starts to take shape and come to pass.  I needed to remember that today.  There are reasons things happen that we don't always see in the middle of the storm, or even in the middle of a choice.  Sometimes, like the dishes, best doesn't look like best at first glance, but with a little bit of faith and work, best takes shape.  I went through a can of Barkeeper's Friend and my dishes are fit for placing on the table in front of company.  

If you have the time, take a look at Joel 2:25 and look through the verse to see if you see something about who our Creator is.  

As for me, I'm overwhelmed by God's grace today.