Crack, plop. Crack, plop. The eggs dropped into the mixing bowl, as my foggy brain tried to keep track of the count. Ten eggs was more than I usually used for cooking or baking, but this was an egg bake I was preparing for our Valentine’s Day MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) event.
As a mother without preschoolers, or “mah-wop” (MWOP) as my husband Craig jokingly calls me, I volunteer with our local MOPS group as a mentor mom. That morning I was bleary-eyed, having “pancake-flip-flopped” my way through three hours of insomnia the night before. At least I would be in good company that morning; most MOPS do not sleep through the night either.
As I grabbed one of the eggs from the carton, I looked closely and noticed a surprise:
Printed inside the Goldhen egg carton I had purchased from Aldi, I found a Bible verse. The small print inside the egg carton lid spelled out Psalm 118:24 (RSV): This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 is a special verse for our family. Craig and I realized that our mothers had hung that verse, printed on the same mini-banner, in their respective kitchens in our childhood homes. My father began his daily professional dictations in the 1970s by quoting Psalm 118:24. Craig and I chose that verse as a theme for our wedding ceremony.
And there, on Valentine’s Day morning 2018, was the reminder that the day is the Lord’s and therefore worth rejoicing in. I called Craig over to read it, joking that he should take credit for placing our wedding verse there as a Valentine’s greeting for me. No, Craig could not take credit for that valentine. I gave credit to our Creator God, whose word energized me when I felt exhausted before a long day.
The Bible says that God’s word will always complete what it is meant to bring about. God promised that through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:11, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Studying the Bible helps us learn about the blessings and purposes of God’s word.
I am so grateful that God used His words, printed on an egg carton, to surprise and encourage me on Valentine’s Day.
