{"id":3887,"date":"2019-04-24T12:43:41","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T12:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=3887"},"modified":"2019-04-14T15:09:09","modified_gmt":"2019-04-14T19:09:09","slug":"a-perfect-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=3887","title":{"rendered":"A Perfect Mistake"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 It looks like even the birds are walking today!<\/p>\n

Prodigal: I know.<\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 Well maybe the birds will be entertained by this.<\/p>\n

Grandpa Nybakken loved like–especially when he could play a trick on somebody.\u00a0 At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he feigned innocent surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, forevermore!”\u00a0 But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him and Grandpa wasn’t laughing.<\/p>\n

Mother’s father worked as a carpenter.\u00a0 On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage in China.\u00a0 On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone.\u00a0 He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church.\u00a0 His search proved fruitless.<\/p>\n

When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what happened.\u00a0 The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut.\u00a0 His brand new glasses were heading for China!<\/p>\n

The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children.\u00a0 He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.<\/p>\n

“It’s not fair,” he told God as he drove home in frustration.\u00a0 “I’ve been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and not this.”<\/p>\n

Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States.\u00a0 He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday night at my grandfather’s small church in Chicago.\u00a0 \u00a0Grandpa and his family sat in their customary seats among the sparse congregation.<\/p>\n

The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage.<\/p>\n

“But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year.\u00a0 You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses.\u00a0 I was desperate.<\/p>\n

“Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses.\u00a0 Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this.\u00a0 Then your crates arrived.\u00a0 When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top.”<\/p>\n

The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in.\u00a0 Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued:\u00a0 “Folks, when I tried on the glasses,it was as though they had been custom made for me!\u00a0 I want to thank you for being a part of that.”<\/p>\n

The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses.\u00a0 But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought.\u00a0 There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.<\/p>\n

But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.<\/p>\n

by Cheryl Walterman Stewart<\/p>\n

Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul<\/p>\n

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.<\/p>\n

2 Chronicles 7:14<\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

www.theprodigalpig.com<\/p>\n

www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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