Tangible provision

Recently my life has been overwhelmed by provision and grace.  And not just the God-dealing-with-my-inside-being grace, but tangible, real grace I can see and...well, I was going to say explain, but I can't really explain it. 

Perhaps it will make more sense if I just list some crazy things that have happened these past few months:

• Job #1:  Working the the School of Engineering and Computer Science is a blessing I cannot describe.  Perhaps the best work hours I could possibly need:  4 hours every morning that get me out of bed but let me off by lunchtime so I can have the rest of the day for life or ministry-related things.  A gracious supervisor who recognizes my commitments with IV and is willing to be flexible.  Decent pay.  Plus--I didn't even really apply for this job.  The short version is that this job basically fell into my lap.  The long version of this isn't that much longer.
• Job #2:  Though I had quite a lot of time with only working one part-time job and not really interning yet, I did not even consider taking on a second job.  But babysitting for one of the professor's just opened up.  Six hours a week with a 3.5 year old and a 6 month old is a bit tiring, but once again the pay is good and the extra income definitely helps!  I reiterate again that I did not look for this job.
• Furniture for the Yellow House:  Lauren and I have been in conversation about investing in making our home a hospitable place where people would not only feel welcome, but also comfortable.  If opportunity presented itself, we were willing to invest money in dining room chairs, couches, and a TV.  But as I was studying the book of Mark and Jesus' critique against material possessions and pondering what it meant to be a good steward of the money I have, I had a thought:  What if we didn't spend one dollar and God just provided everything for the Yellow House?
  Being of kinda-little faith, I wasn't willing to challenge God to do that, but I thought it'd be cool if it happened.  Here is what has happened this past month:
• I went back home and asked for the cushioned folding chairs my parents had invested in for home group (which they are no longer leading).  They were happy to donate them, and now we actually have enough chairs for eight to sit around our dining room table!
• Our good friend Harrison moved out of his apartment and passed on his unneeded furniture.  This includes a dish chair, a stool, another folding chair, and a bean bag.  The bean bag is one of those things that I had always wanted but recognized as a luxury and not a necessity...but now we have one!!
• Harrison also gave us a DVD player, and we hooked it up to an old TV from the 90's that Lauren had in her closet.  It's actually the first TV her parents bought after their marriage, but it works! 
• Geoffrey's uncle is getting new couches and wants to get rid of his old ones.  Geoffrey said, "You probably need them more than I do", so in a few months we're going to get real. couches.  Not just 10-year-old, falling apart, mis-matched college apartment couches.  Matching comfy forest green couches with pillows.  A couch and loveseat.  I am. so. excited. for. couches.  
• Dental Care.  This story is so ridiculous it needs it's own entry.  So, so amazed.
• Housing situation:  With Natalie moving upstairs in the fall, Lauren and I will be in need of a third roommate.  Last night she told me that she had found one!  A girl from her Bible study is living with her parents and is looking to move out.  And suddenly we don't have to worry at all about raising rent because we won't have enough roommates...
• Parent's support:  As my family is about to hit some tricky times, my parent still express their hope to support me on IV staff next year.  Compared to the initial reaction when I first told them about staff seven months ago...ah.  

At the end of our Kolkata trip, we studied the story of Jonah.  This verse stuck out to me then and continues to ring in the back of my head now:

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."  Jonah 2:8

Coincidentally (?), when Natalie and I were on our way to SF to start the whole dental-care-thingee, we were wondering how we live a lifestyle that reflects God's Kingdom and our trust in his provision.  The thought at that time was this:  If we were always so quick to fix our own problems, when would we give God a chance to show himself as one who provides?  Given, there is an element that is our responsibility, such as still applying for jobs or managing our money well so we can use it well.  But still:  what if we had bought a TV, a couch, chairs?  Would we have recognized that God was plopping it all in front of us (for free!) if we had already acquired everything on our own?  Surely if I had dental insurance I wouldn't see this network of friends-acquaintances-parents draw together to just...give.

Life baffles me sometimes.  

If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.