I had been scroll sawing for about a year when one of my sisters called.  This particular sister and I spoke quite regularly about life in general.  She knew I had been scrolling for awhile and this particular phone call was to ask if I could scroll something specific.

Not considering myself quite experienced to just say yes, I told her it depended on what it was.  When she said that she wanted a plaque that simply read, “The Lord Is My Shepherd”, I asked a few particular questions like what kind of wood, what shape and if she wanted anything else on it.

We spent a little time discussing the particulars, and she concluded the conversation with making sure I knew it was no hurry, and just cut it when I had some time.

One thing led to another with projects that came up, birthdays, or just random gifts. Before I knew it a little over 4 months had gone by.  After realizing that I still had not started this project, I gave her a call to let her know.  I felt a little guilty mainly because this particular sister very rarely asks me for anything.  She told me no apologies were needed, she knew I had been busy.  She was wondering though if I could start it.  I promised her I would.

After making the pattern for the wood on paper, I took a picture of it and texted my sister for approval.  From that moment on, while she was not exactly pushing me, she would call to ask on the progress.  This went on for about a month.  The scrolling of the piece along with the sanding and finishing of the wood can be time consuming.  With working a fulltime job, what might take only a few days, sometimes could take a whole month.  Each time my sister would ask about the progress, I asked her if she had a deadline date she needed this by.  Each time she answered no.

About a week after I delivered her the plaque she called me.  I could hear by her tone that she was excited to tell me something.  Her first question to me was how did I know to have this plaque done on the date that I did?  I wasn’t quite sure what she meant.  Then she explained why she had asked me.

She told me that our aunt had a neighbor one door down in her apartment complex that was one of the nicest and most courteous gentlemen in the complex.  At Christmastime, the apartment complex had a contest of who had the best door sign or plaque.  My sister noticed that the neighbor did not have one.  She asked if he was planning to join the contest.  His answer was a simple and friendly no.  My sister had decided that she would like to give him something to hang on his door, not necessarily for the contest, but just as a nice gesture.  That was when she first contacted me with the request for the “Lord Is My Shepherd” plaque.  There was no hurry, because she didn’t want to give it to him at the time the contest was happening.  She chose the words “The Lord is My Shepherd” because it happens to be her favorite line from the Bible.

As she is continuing her story, she is starting to sound very excited.  She then said that she had no idea why she started to gently prod me to finish the plaque, but wait until I heard the rest of the story!  The Saturday of the week I gave her the finished plaque, she knocked on this gentleman’s door.  When there was no answer, she simply left the plaque on his; “Welcome Mat”.

She and my aunt received a note from him not long after.  He first told them how deeply he was touched by their incredible thoughtfulness in giving him this plaque.  Then, he went on to explain how the timing of receiving it was definitely God ordained.  His wife had passed away two years to the day that my sister left him the plaque on his doorstep, and “The Lord Is My Shepherd” is inscribed on her tombstone.

By this time I am smiling and my heart is bursting with happiness.  While my sister is still confused as to how I knew when to get this to her, I realize she has absolutely no clue what has happened here.

I asked her if she knew what I meant when I would use the words “This is a God Story” when I wanted to tell her how God had used me to touch a life.  She said she knew, so what?  I laughed out loud.  Well let me ask you how you feel now that you have experienced firsthand what it is like to be the main character in this particular God Story!?