God's Reputation (a story about a doll)

If you ever feel an urge to defend God's reputation or to produce a miracle, don't bother. He is more than able to do both. Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, cares for you and your children.

About eleven years ago, a Missionary Ventures family stopped by to visit us on their way to the mission field, hoping to observe how a large family balances ministry and child-rearing. It was the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship between the two families, and we've enjoyed watching the Loftsgard family grow and prosper in Nicaragua all these years.

While they were here, and the four adults were involved in one of many fruitful discussions in the living room, the kids were together in the girls' bedroom playing "beanie baby bombardment." Yes, surely this was a game invented by the boys in our family. The kids were all happily chucking stuffed animals across the room at each other when we heard a crash, followed by silence, and then whispered apologies and crying. In the excitement of the game, one of our little guests, who had never heard of such a thing as a breakable doll, had thrown Hannah's china doll, which shattered on the unyielding cement floor.

Although Hannah was a bit of a tomboy, following three boys in the Loker line-up, she had one cherished possession which she kept on her shelf and never played with, and that was this little china doll a short-term team had given her. I'll never forget that heart-breaking moment of comforting her little heart over a dolly that could never be glued back together. Naturally I combed Oaxaca City looking for a replacement. Since then I have seen numerous dolls exactly like I was searching for, but that year I found none. It didn't help that my shopping days were cut short by Debbie's birth by c-section in late November.

After assuring Hannah that God would provide, I felt like a creep as Christmas day came and went with no china doll. It didn't turn out like the sweet old song "Scarlet Ribbons" where the child wakes up to find the room full of just what she wanted even though the parent had found none. No doll miraculously appeared. Truthfully I was likely more disappointed than Hannah, who by then had forgotten all about the doll now that she had a real live baby sister to play with.

A couple of weeks later, a young missionary friend of ours came by after returning from Christmas holidays in the states. Beth explained about the rather large package she was carrying, "My sister Sara asked me to bring this down for Hannah. For some strange reason, she saw it in a store and felt compelled to buy it. I have no idea what it is, but I hand carried it all the way down on the plane so it wouldn't get broken."

Inside, of course, was a beautiful china doll. God provided. Once again He didn't require my assistance to finagle a blessing for one of my children. Completely on His own, He made the provision, and He alone gets all the glory, just as He deserves.