Mysterious Ways

God works in mysterious ways, we all know that. But I really think that it's not so much mysterious as we just don't have the full picture. I bet my boys think I work in mysterious ways, and yet I don't, I can just see a fuller picture than they can and make decisions with more knowledge than them.

Our sitter told us about two months ago that she wants to quit this summer. She's been with us for two years and is ready to move on. I can't blame her, she's not going to find someone to marry coming to work at our house everyday. Although Simon claims he's going to marry her, but I don't think she wants to wait 20 years! Plus with Noah starting school in the fall, her income would be dropping, not what most people want out of a job, I know!

I knew I had plenty of time so I started asking around, sending e-mails, that kind of thing. I wasn't getting much. What I did get was older ladies, like over 60, and I just have a hard time believing someone over 60 would be able to keep up with my four boys sufficiently, so I moved them to the bottom of the list.

The list began to include day care centers, which I didn't want to use, but was afraid I would have to-who has openings for four boys? I was starting to get worried. I pushed the worry down, because I knew if I was diligent God would provide good care for my boys. He always has.

On Mother's Day at the end of the church service there was an alter call of sorts while the Praise Team sang a final song. You were just supposed to go up and kneel on the kneelers and pray if there was something you needed to pray about. Well, I never do those kinds of things, I just sit in my seat, but that day was different. Tim went up to sing and I headed up to the kneeler to pray. I turned it over to God and asked him to lead me to the sitter he wanted the boys to have.

I felt a peace wash over me and I went back to my seat.

The next week at Sunday School, one of our friends handed me a folded up paper and said, "You might want this. It was in my box when I got to church this morning." It was a flier of someone starting an in-home day care. I felt that peace wash over me again. I handed it to Tim and said, "Of course I have to check her out, but this is it, she's who we want."

Tim even read the flier and said he thought she sounded good too.

I called her the next morning and as God would have it, she had two babies lined up to begin watching, one of them was supposed to start that day, but that baby didn't come. That means she only had one, and thus, had room for all four of my boys. They can stay at one place and still play together all summer, like a family should.

I met with her and liked her. She's a christian lady and is very excited about watching a whole family. (And she's only 42-young enough to keep up!) I took the boys to meet with her and they all took to her right away. While they aren't happy about losing their current sitter, they're excited about going to the new sitter.

Mysterious? No, I'd say gracious. Not only did he provide a sitter that will care for them, she's going to continue with our christian values and teachings. Just what I need, and he took care of it, just like I do with my boys.