It sounds silly, maybe – pajamas, a shawl, a pair of jeans. So insignificant in the grand scheme of life, yet these simple things bring tears to my eyes. They are tangible evidence of God’s love for me – something I can hold in my hand and exclaim, “Jehovah Jireh – the Lord will provide”… and He has.

Our church holds a clothing drive twice a year, in the spring and fall. It’s a full week of countless people working many hours, sorting, hanging, and organizing clothes for the community to come and take what they need. Some years it’s a treasure trove for our family – we bring home several garbage bags full of clothing that we desperately need for the coming season. Other times we walk away with almost nothing, trusting that other people need those clothes more than we do, praying that they’ll find what they’re looking for.

This season’s exchange was more of the latter for us. We went in with a very short list of what we really needed – mostly coats for three of our four kids. I always hang on to clothes and coats from the older kids, passing them down to the younger ones through the years. But this year our coats were a bust – one zipper was broken, one boy is growing quickly into a young man, and one very stubborn 9 year old (who shall remain unnamed), refuses to wear the coat her sister had, deeming it “ugly”.

Besides the coats, I was also hoping for a pair of jeans for myself. Earlier that day I had purchased a pair at the store in a style I wasn’t crazy about, with money that really could be used in a better way. They sat still in the sack, waiting to see their fate. If I could find a pair at the clothing exchange, any that were just good enough to get me by, I could return those to the store and put that money elsewhere.

We arrived at the exchange and being rifling through clothing in various sizes, passing by shirts and pants that were too small or not quite right. My husband found a couple shirts for work, but the rest of us were empty-handed after half an hour. We finally headed over to the children’s coats. Blessing of all blessings, we found two coats that would fit our youngest children – and weren’t declared “ugly”!

Then I remembered the jeans. I was leery… generally jeans offered at a clothing exchange are not the greatest. In fact, I’ve never had luck finding the right size in a pair that didn’t look like it was from the 90’s. I’m very short, so I also need the hems to reflect that! I didn’t hold out much hope, but incredibly, to the point where I checked the tag three times to make sure I was seeing what I thought, I found the perfect pair – better than the ones I had bought at the store. They were the exact right size, the exact right style, and they looked brand spanking new. I couldn’t believe it!

Right next to the jeans were jackets, the fancy kind business women who are not me wear. But something caught my eye, and I pulled its hanger down. It was a lightweight poncho-style shawl, a modern plaid in fun colors that I love. I had been wanting one of these for quite a while, but it was something I never would have spent the money on for myself. I hadn’t told anyone, not even God, but here it was. I couldn’t have designed something better had I tried!

With just these two providenced items for myself in hand, we made our way around the church, gathering children as we went. In a far corner I spied boxes marked “pajama sets”. I had just cleaned out my pajama drawer and thought it might be nice to have an extra pair to replace the ones I took out. The day before, my daughter and I had glanced through pajamas at the store. I jokingly said to her, “There are so many ‘coffee’ pajamas! I need some with hot cocoa on them!” At this point I don’t really have to tell you what I found in that box, do I? That’s right. A soft purple pair of flannel pajamas in my size, with steaming mugs and the words “hot cocoa” printed all over them.

Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. I can’t type this without tears in my eyes, because that’s the kind of God we serve. El Roi, a God who sees us, who sees everything from our deepest needs to our simplest desires, and loves to give these things to us. Including the things we would never ask for out loud.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” ~Matthew 7:11

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” ~James 1:17

We generally have nearly a thousand people come through the doors during the clothing exchange. I pray with my whole being that all those people were blessed in the way we were, that they found exactly what they needed and maybe a little of what they wanted. I hope those who don’t know God yet are starting to get to know Him, this God who sees them and provides for them. I hope you are, too.