Why she forgot to buy toilet paper
Because she was too busy remembering—
To call the adoption lawyer, the dentist, the friend
All the names of her child’s pediatric specialists
The extra flesh she feels around her waistband
To buy the birthday card for her dad and wrap a present for her daughter
The items on her husband’s to-do lists
To wash her son’s favorite robot pajamas, and her daughter’s unicorn ones
The infant physical therapy exercises she learned
To pay the tuition, to pack the lunch, to pick up the groceries
The limited number of years, days, and moments she has to disciple her children
So when she reached into the top shelf of the laundry closet and found it bare, she cried.
Because with all her phone reminders, to-do lists, and color-coded schedules,
She had forgotten something as basic as toilet paper.
Yet while the plates she had been spinning crashed down around her, she remembered something else she had forgotten.
God always remembers.
He remembers to—
Wake her up each morning with sunlight pouring through her bedroom window
Paint her front yard trees in fiery shades of amber
Feed the squirrels outside her kitchen window
Water the flower beds she has long forgotten
Sustain global ecosystems that produce her favorite oatmeal creamer
Fill her bank account, her fridge, her stomach, her heart
Strengthen her weak body and spirit to carry out her callings
Bring to her mind all the ways he remembers her
Shower her with grace when she forgets again
If God remembers to provide for the most basic needs of his creation, would he not also remember to provide for her basic needs? Would the God who colors autumn leaves golden hues and sunsets shades of pink not also delight in remembering to bring his children good gifts?
The same God remembered to give—
Eve another son
Hagar water
Sarah laughter
Tamar justice
Jochebed a basket
Ruth a home
Hannah a child
Elizabeth joy
Mary hope
If He remembered to be faithful to all these mothers, then she knew the Faithful One would remember her.
Even when she forgets to buy toilet paper.
This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "A Question".