I’m Thankful for Our Home
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
The steady sound of water dripping kept Kaumba awake well passed midnight. On this Tuesday in January there had been a lot of rain during the day, but the dripping water from the roof into the bedroom lasted through much of the night due to a damaged roofing sheet.
“Dear God,” Kaumba prayed. “Please provide for our family so we can have a secure roof during this rainy season.”
Kaumba knew that even though the rains had just started, they were expected to last through March this year, which was a good thing since last season was too small and created a drought. He finally fell asleep but woke with the steady rain pounding on the metal roof once again. “More rain.” Kaumba thought. “Thank you, God. We trust You.” Even though their house had a few leaks, Kaumba was thankful that they stayed mostly dry inside those four walls. It was a good spot for all 10 of them to live — dad, mom, 3 sisters, 2 brothers, auntie, uncle and himself. They even had the community toilet a short walk away!
Hearing the rain getting a little harder, Kaumba darted out of bed and got every bowl, cup, bucket, and dish he could find. He set them outside on the muddy ground so they could fill with fresh clean rain. This meant he wouldn’t have to walk to the watering tap to collect water for the family. Relief swept over him. “Ahhhh… just a simple day at home for me today! I don’t have to take that long walk just to get water!”
After collecting enough water to fill their two twenty-five-liter drums, the rain stopped, and Kaumba decided to venture off to see what he could find. His favorite place in all Chaisa was the garbage dumping site. It was inevitable that he would find treasures – bits of food, a new shirt (he’d have to clean it, though), a new toy, or even something mother would like – a new cup, perhaps? One of the main reasons he liked his daily treasure hunts was because of how quiet the garbage site was… no loud music, no screaming babies, no adults shouting, no cars hooting. It was quiet and peaceful.
After climbing on top of the unusually large mound, Kaumba could tell that a few truckloads were delivered during the night – probably illegally. But that was a blessing to Kaumba – more treasures were waiting for him — treasures that no one else had found yet. As he began digging, he noticed how saturated the trash was from the night’s rain. “This is going to be more difficult.” he thought.
He persisted in his digging, though, and after a few minutes he found his first treasure… a towel! He could only see the corner of it, but he pulled with all his might until the entire blue towel flew from the pile of trash. “YAHOO!” he screamed. It was soaked and quite dirty, but Kaumba was willing to take it home, give it a good wash, and hang it up to dry. His mother would be pleased with a blessing like this.
Once the towel was freed, Kaumba could see something shiny, like metal, down in the hole. What was that? It looked like a corner of a long sheet of metal. Why would anyone throw that away? As he dug and dug, he began to realize that this wasn’t just any piece of metal. This was actually a roofing sheet… about 2 meters long! The perfect addition to their house’s roof! Praise God! His heart began to beat faster as he anticipated this unexpected gift from God for their family. Debris was flying everywhere as hew quickly threw things out of the way so he could free his treasure.
Just as he was getting ready to try to lift the sheet, he heard Simon calling him. He yelled back, “Hey, Simon, over here! You are just in time!”
Simon ran to see what Kaumba was working so hard to uncover. “Wow! A sheet of metal for your house! That’s amazing! Here, let me help you.”
With the two boys working together, the carried the towel and roofing sheet high above their heads like futbol (soccer) champions carrying a trophy. Kaumba’s house wasn’t too far away, but that didn’t matter. They would have travelled several kilometers if they needed to. This treasure was too valuable.
Once they got home and secured the sheet in just the right place, Kaumba took a minute while still on the roof to pray. “Thank you, Jesus, for providing this roof for us. You knew that we needed it, and I am sure that you put that right in the trash pile for me. I know you love me and care for our needs. We have never been without food or anything else that we needed even though we had a drought last year. I know I can trust You in the future because I of how you provided once again. Thank you! AMEN!”
THANKSGIVING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What was Kaumba thankful for in this story? Why was that such a blessing to him?
How would you feel having a major problem with your home but didn’t have the resources to fix the problem?
Tell me how your home is a blessing to you. What parts of it do you like? What parts are you tempted to complain about?
How do you feel about your home after hearing this story?
How could you use your home to bless others around you?
THANKSGIVING ACTION ITEMS:
- In our busy lives, we don’t often think of using our home to bless others. Think of a family that you have wanted to have over. Invite them to come for lunch, dinner, a dessert night, a game night, or a bonfire. Get that date on the calendar so you can be intentionally using your home to bless others.
- Are you handy? Use your abilities to help others from your church or neighborhood who need assistance with routine jobs around their home – collecting leaves, painting a fence, cleaning out the gutters, reorganizing the garage, etc. Contact your church office. They may be able to help you find someone in need.
- Find a building project you can help to work on. Try contacting Habitat for Humanity to see what they are currently working on in your area.
- Download these papers for your children to write and draw what they are thankful for today. (Make one each day of this devotion series.)
THANKSGIVING SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
(Psalm 100 is a classic portion of Scripture for our families to memorize during this Thanksgiving season. Click HERE to download a FREE PRINTABLE of Psalm 100. If you need ideas on how to memorize Scripture with your family, click here to see some of my favorites.)
If you have already memorized Psalm 100, you can try Psalm 95!
THANKSGIVING PRAYER TIME:
Thank God that you have a safe, secure, and comfortable home. Ask Him for forgiveness for the times you have complained about its color, size, location, or layout. Ask Him to help you be more hospitable with your home to use it to encourage and bless others.
Do you want to know more about our work in Lusaka, Zambia? Click here to see more about Family Legacy Missions International.
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