Home that rides on wheels

Peanut Butter

                                                                   By: Penny Cook

Yes, this is the Peanut Butter story. AGAIN!

If you've heard it and are tired of it - please pass over it. 😊 I post it when it comes up because so many people still ask me about it. Maybe someone new will be encouraged by it.

It's a true story and is a story of God and His Faithfulness in ALL things.

And now - The Peanut Butter Story:

During a season of my life when I was a single mother and struggling financially, one of my daughters came and asked what might seem like a simple request. She said, "It's been a while since we've had any peanut butter. Could we get some?" I told her I'd see what I could do about that and she went off to bed. Well, I remember laying on the couch and crying like a baby because I knew there was no money to buy peanut butter with. I had a good old fashioned pity party. I cried out to God and told Him how unfair it was that my children had to do with out such a simple request over circumstances that were not their fault. I told Him I felt ashamed to question Him and complain when we certainly had not gone hungry. Many friends and church family had been faithful to help us. God had shown His faithfulness time and time again. I told Him it surely would be nice to be able to go to the store and get not only our needs, but also a few "wants", like peanut butter! I cried myself to sleep feeling like a failure as a mother. (The peanut butter was just the straw that pushed me over the edge of much financial stress)

The next morning I got up to go run the Meals on Wheels route that I worked that summer. I took one of the girls with me every day so I would have some special time with the daughter who went for that day. The same one went with me that day who had asked about the peanut butter.

We got to one of the houses and the sweet little lady who lived there asked if I could wait a minute after we had given her the meal. She went into her house and came back with a can in her hands. She then preceded to say "I went yesterday to get my commodities and they had this can of peanut butter in my box. Well, I don't buy peanut butter because it gives me "the gas". I love it but it sure doesn't love me! Well, I kept thinking about this can of peanut butter in my cabinet last night and I got up and ate a spoon full. Let me tell you - that spoon full of peanut butter kept me up all night! When I got up this morning, I thought, I've got to get that stuff out of my house! Then I thought about you and your little girls coming by here everyday. I don't want to offend you by offering you an opened can with a spoon mark in it, but I figured kids all love peanut butter. Would you mind having this can of peanut butter?"

I'm sure she wondered why I was crying before she could even finish her question! Absolutely, we would love to have such a precious gift! In that moment it was more valuable than a can full of gold! Sure, a can of gold would have bought a house full of groceries, but not the lesson my children and I learned that day and that we have never forgotten. God does hear our prayers, He hears our heart cries. He hears a little girl say "can we get some peanut butter" when there's no money to buy it. That little lady could have given us a loaf of bread or a bag of potatoes. But it would not have been the miracle that God wanted us to have. It would have been appreciated but not something that I would remember so vividly 20 years later. My God is an awesome God and He cares about me personally. He cares about you too. Bring your needs and your concerns to Him. He will show you how big, and loving, and able He is. I've just always felt bad that the poor little lady had "the gas" all night to get our miracle to us!