I'd like to tell you what happened to me the other day as a way of bringing glory to God.

I've been collecting baby items for my pregnant friend. I haven't actually given my friend anything. Dwayne and I still want to have one or two babies of our own, God willing, so I'm keeping my baby stuff for myself to use again in the future. But, I do have a lot of friends who don't know this pregnant friend of mine who are completely done having kids. So, I've asked them to give me their baby items, so I can pass them along to my pregnant friend in turn.

It's taking a measure of self control not to be envious over the items my pregnant friend is receiving. And, like I said, I'm not done having babies and it would be pretty nice to go through the bags and piles and take out what I want for myself and pass along the left overs to my pregnant friend. But, I made a vow to God that if He would use me to meet my friend's needs, I would give her "first dibs" on everything I collected. The items would flow like water from my hands into hers.

And, so God is blessing her. She's gotten a beautiful vibrating baby chair, a high chair that attaches to a kitchen chair, a Bumbo seat, a box full of nice baby toys, a play mat that looks basically brand new, several bags of baby clothes, shoes and blankets, etc. These are all things she needs, things she has been able to tick off her baby registry, things she and I set out looking to God to provide for her.

On Saturday, my doorbell rang and a friend was here to donate even more baby stuff. After I collected it, I said goodbye to her and walked inside and sat down to email my pregnant friend to set up a time to drop off the new items. That's when my phone rang.

Another friend of mine was calling to let me know that she was downsizing, cleaning off her bookshelves and she wanted to give me her old home school books. I said, "Yes. Of course." and so, before I could even set up a time to give my pregnant friend the baby items I had collected for her, I had to set up a time to pick up home school books for me!

Now, you should know that I have been praying about books. I've wanted them desperately. As a rule, we can only really afford the most basic, most essential texts we use for home school instruction. Even those cost quite a lot of money. For any other books, any "extras," we have to use the library. And, we check out thirty books at a time, but still, there are plenty of books I'd like to own, medal winners, especially. I'd like to own Usborne and Eyewitness books, books about animals and plants with colorful, high-quality photos, the kind you and your kids can read and glean something new from over and over again.

I took the pictures above after unpacking four out of the six boxes of books I was given. Six out of ten of the books I recognize and I know that I will like. The titles that I don't recognize, I'll probably end up liking, too. Many of these are animal and nature books that seem to fit our need for science books right now and it seems like almost a quarter of them are medal winners.

And, so it happened, on the very same day I emptied my Jeep of baby items I had collected for my pregnant friend, I got to fill it with boxes and boxes of home school books that I've wanted for a long time.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. The measure you use will be measured to you. ” -Luke 6:38