God's Provision | the Stroller

On December 12, Aletha Hinthorn published the following thought on her blog after sharing the miraculous story of God's provision for her in a particular situation:


God wants us to go forward believing He will not only see the need before we do, but will also have provided the answer. God's provisions are much like those of a mother who thinks ahead about what her child will need on a trip. She packs little surprises, toys, games, and foods that she knows he would enjoy. God promises to provide for us "superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think-infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams" (Ephesians 3:20 Amp.).

As you can imagine, Reni is growing and getting stronger and heavier -- such that we dare not leave the house without double checking that we have the stroller with us.  It's an adequate little stroller.  We bought it 6 years ago in anticipation of bringing Ellie home.  Since we were adopting her as a toddler, we didn't think it made sense to invest in one of those higher-end strollers with the infant carrier and all.  Though we found the handle bar on our economy version a bit narrow and low in relation to our height,  it did the job... most of the time.

This fall when we visited the bee hives at the Allen Farm, we had to walk a ways down a long dirt lane.  At one point the ruts and rocks were just too much for our little stroller's small, wobbly wheels.  The carriage was obviously built for the smooth tile floors of the mall and not "off-roading it."  On the steepest part of the lane, it was easier for one of us to carry Reni and another carry the stroller, than to push.    We were reminded anew that our stroller was lacking.

hiking to the bee hives

Travel with me in your mind's eye to the city of Tirana.  Thankfully the streets around our apartment are now paved, but many of the sidewalks are uneven and occasionally broken, many paved with cobblestone or bricks.  The curbs are high (none of those ADA dips for wheelchair access) and because the traffic is SO bad, we will walk to do most every kind of errand we can.  Then imagine the village... with gravel roads on a hillside, and many a path just like the farm lane at the Allen farm.  We've known for sometime that we would need to invest in a good, off-road stroller that would hold Reni for a few more years until he gets good legs, but those are not cheap.

You can imagine our joy when a church in Kentucky expressed a desire to bless us with something to help with Reni's needs.  We proposed the stroller and they thought that was a great idea. After consulting my friends on the Yahoo limb difference group, a particular brand was recommended to me which I investigated further. Upon reading the reviews for this stroller, I knew it would suit our needs perfectly.  Thanks to the generosity of God's people (and one-click shopping), we came home from Ohio last week to this,  Reni's new chariot:  

Isn't that a sporty color, like the race cars he admires?  The seat is padded, the shocks on this buggy are truly impressive, the wheels are sturdy (the front wheel is fixed) and the handlebar (with hand break) is at the perfect height for Reni's taller parents!  You can feel the quality construction through and through.  It holds up to 70 lbs so given that he barely scratches 30 lbs today, he should be able to use this for years to come.  It apparently also comes with an optional rain screen which we may just have to get... and in that case I may just ask Nathan to push ME down the street in it!  Oh wait... what was that weight limit?  

But really, the greatest blessing is less tangible than shocks and wheels and handbreaks... the greatest blessing is that Reni will be included in so much more of what we do and where we go (in the mundane, the fun, and in ministry).  And if you've ever met our Reni boy, you know that his mere presence touches and blesses those he meets.  He's a valuable part of our ministry team. That's a blessing that extends beyond our family's convenience.  Thank you, friends!  You know who you are!  Thank you for being an instrument of God's provision!

This whole faith journey in raising our support to go to Albania has been an indescribable experience of seeing God's provision through His people, sometimes like this, in many unexpected ways.  It's faith-growing and call-confirming.  If our adoption experience is any indication, God's miraculous provision today will be a signpost at which we can reference in times of doubt and hardship to reassure us that He is indeed with us, and that we are on the right path.

Aletha's closing echoes our prayers:

Thank You, Jesus, that You will provide in the future as You have in the past. Some day in heaven I'll be amazed to see how carefully You planned ahead for every detail of my life. 

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Read the entire devotional message here.