Last night the thermometer outside my kitchen window sunk to 9 degrees. When I put my head on the pillow I was thankful for my furnace and prayed God would rescue anyone faced with spending the bitter cold night outdoors.
But this morning when I came downstairs, the house was surprisingly chilly. I turned the thermostat up to 72, then 74, and even 76, but the indoor temperature remained in the sixties.
After church, while doing dishes with my coat on, I called the furnace man, Norm, and presented the problem. He asked when I’d last changed the filter. “Never,” I said.
Directing me to the basement (without any judgment in his voice), he walked me through the process of finding and removing the old filter. “Hold it up to the light,” he said. “Can you see through it?”
“No.”
“Not even a little?”
“No. It’s completely black.”
Without any criticism, his thoughtful response was, “Then our problem is easy to fix. Leave the filter out for a while and your house will warm right up. Then get some new filters tomorrow.”
While I was blubbering out gratitude he said, “Why don’t you take the old filter with you? That’ll help you get the right replacement.”
After we hung up, I stood in front of my purring furnace, filthy filter in hand, and broke into tears. It wasn’t about the warming furnace but the ice cold separation from Nate. He hadn’t been a handyman, but he did do a faithful job of replacing furnace filters. My heating dilemma had highlighted, in an unexpected way, how far away he really was… from the furnace, the filters, the house, and mostly from me. It was one more new bit of widow-awareness and felt like a sledgehammer to the heart.
One of the ways God cares for widows is by placing kindhearted people within arm’s reach, right when we need them. Last summer when the furnace was being installed, Norm mentioned ”my husband” doing this or that, which prompted me to tell him my husband had died. Today on the phone he seemed to remember that, handling my shortcomings with compassion. Whether or not he knew it, he was an instrument of God’s grace. And this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced “gentle handling” from “strangers.”
We’re all familiar with the Bible verse that says we should offer kindness to everyone, because that “person” might really be an angel in disguise. I’m learning the reverse is true, too: certain people act kindly toward me so quickly, I don’t even have a chance to initiate kindness first.
And that’s how our tenderhearted God arranges life around his widows.
“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done.” (Isaiah 63:7)
MUCH THE SAME THING HAPPEND TO ME! AND AREN’T WE WIDOWS GRATEFUL FOR ALL THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT STEP UP TO GLADLY HELP US? SO OFTEN I FIND SOMEONE (OR THEY FIND ME!!!) WHEN I’M IN NEED. THANKS TO YOU MY PRAYER TODAY INCLUDED THEM!
Experincing this years ago…I found it helpful to buy the 3-pack – hepa -3 month filters…mark my calendar 3 months ahead of time as a reminder to check/change it.
It’s difficult enough getting through the process of losing a mate…and learning all the ‘things to do’ to maintain a house is an experience all it’s own….but you’re blessed with ‘God’s provision’ of helpful hands and people to get you through…..as are all of us widows who know the Lord.
He ‘CARES’..for us. And..’you could’v had a V-8!
I have relied on my neighbors and handymen for all kinds of issues. We needed to replace light bulbs in a fixture and couldn’t seem to release the globe by removing the screw nut and the next thing we know the whole fixture is hanging by wires and we aren’t any closer to finding access to the lightbulbs. It was a comedy of how many people does it take to change a lightbulb……We prayed and my neighbor came over and taught us some new lessons on light bulb changing.
This is my first year in the snow without my husband. And although I have driven forever in the Chicago winters, I realized this year that he wasn’t there for me “just in case”. Broke into tears and pulled in front of my house only to see the neighbor and his kids shoveling. Thank you Lord for your everlasting mercy and grace!ANd thank you Margaret for reminding me to watch and wait for God’s angels.
Hi Margaret – I’m smiling as I’m reading your blog today because yesterday I was at church without David. He was in Fort Wayne with our son for an ice hockey tournament. But I knew he wouldn’t be at church with me, so I had you in the back of my mind as I walked around church. I got there just in time so I didn’t have to talk to people and explain where he was. Then I sat down in the middle of a row and wasn’t near anyone I knew. I felt weird. As I was looking around I noticed a friend of mine sitting all alone so I went and joined her. All during praise and worship I just kept feeling like something wasn’t right – I missed David.
And during the whole sermon, which was amazing, I kept thinking he’s missing such a great perspective of Romans 9.
Now I know he’s still here and very much alive, but it sure gave me a glimpse of what life on a Sunday without him may be like one day. It makes me want to reach out and find the widows in our church more often to make sure they feel loved on Sundays.
And when you mentioned the furnace issue my smile broadened. Our hot water heater quit working yesterday while David was still at the tournament. By Thursday we should have hot water again:)
I think God allows those little inconveniences to pop up so we can trust Him. I’m glad your friend helped you through the furnace issue and you are toasty warm once again.
Thinking of you as I run out to the gym so I can take a warm shower!!
Hugs from across the state – Judy