Victory in a Refrigerator

Well, this has been another busy week around our house and I am again finding myself making this post at least a few days later than I had hoped. The week started off with an unexpected surprise. Monday morning when we were just getting ready to sit down and eat breakfast we noticed a strange, strong odor in the house. It was so strong that it was making us cough, so we opened the windows and ate out on the back patio. When I went back into the house the smell was still very strong even with all of the windows opened and there was a haze in the air. I began looking in earnest for the source. I had already checked the air conditioner, and thankfully, it was not the problem. The smell was always the strongest in the kitchen, so we set to work sniffing everything in the kitchen until we realized that it was coming from the vent at the bottom of the refrigerator. It smelled like electrical wires burning so I pulled it out and unplugged it.


Long story short, the compressor on the refrigerator burned up and was burning some of the wiring. So, instead of doing the schooling I had planned for my daughters that morning we had “home economics” and loaded everything into the spare fridge in the garage and cleaned the burnt one (I was still hoping it was repairable at that point). It was not cost effective to replace the compressor in it, so the next day we went and got to buy a new refrigerator, but it couldn’t be delivered until the following day. The bad part about that is the spare fridge in the garage doesn’t work so well and the freezer doesn’t keep stuff frozen. So, the girls got another home economics lesson and we cooked all of the meat (which, thankfully, wasn’t much).

Why in the world am I writing about such a mundane thing? Well, ladies, because this is victory for me.

#1.  I did not have a fit and get upset when it broke and changed all of my plans for the day on Monday. (Have I ever mentioned how I love to plan and prepare for things to go smoothly? Oh, and maybe I get a bit upset when they don’t go the way I had planned.)

#2.  I didn’t worry and fret all day while waiting for my husband to diagnose the problem. (Have I ever mentioned my amazing ability to obsess on one thing for hours, even days at a time?)

#3.  I didn’t freak out about how we were going to afford to buy a refrigerator after using up our savings this last year that my husband was without a job. (I know that I have now mentioned my well-developed abilities of worry and obsession.)

#4.  I was able to calmly enjoy the detour God had given us for the first three days of this week and not drive my children and husband insane with my worrying and attempts to come up with the solution. Incredibly, I was able to let the Lord show me what He had in mind throughout each part of those few days.


So, for those of you who aren’t type A, control freaks like me and you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal?” Any ONE of the things I listed above is a big deal to me! But that the Lord was free to do what He wanted in me this time is nothing less than miraculous. And I just want to publicly thank Him and give Him all the praise and glory for what He did in me this week!

By the way, He provided every penny for a new refrigerator, and I got a really nice one. In fact, I really like it. Oh, this is one more praise…I have this other talent to feel guilty about things most sane people couldn’t imagine feeling guilt over. Normally I would be feeling guilty for having, liking, and even enjoying my new refrigerator. Actually, I don’t think I could normally really enjoy it because of the guilt (weird, I know, but welcome to my warped little mind). But I don’t feel any guilt over having a new fridge, liking it, and even enjoying that I have a new one! I’m just thankful! That’s so cool and new for me, and it’s even better than having the new refrigerator.

I am sure that Lord has a lot for me to learn in this, and maybe I’ll be finding treasures for a long time through it, but a few verses come to mind right now:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

I am so thankful for how He directed me and made me a good example to my children in this one.

And my life verse, John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Woohoo! I didn’t “do” this time, I just remained in Him. I can only be so excited because I have been learning these lessons for a LONG time and it is so good to see Him do all of this in me at one time. Truly He did it. This is not the way I would handle any of it in my own abilities.

As I’m trying to figure out how to wrap this up, I’m wondering if this will make sense to anyone. I’m wondering if I’m the only one who struggles with these kind of silly thoughts, and if you will all think I’m a few bricks short of a full load for thinking this was worth sharing. I guess it doesn’t really matter though because even if you don’t get me and what He did in me, it’s still all for His glory.

Sole Deo Gloria,
WP Stacey