Don't Keep the Potatoes

I've been elated with answers to prayer,
I've been baffled by answers to prayer,
but I've never, never been scarred for life by a swift answer to prayer such as I received yesterday, when I came upon the rotten potatoes.

Lately, I've found it difficult to sense God with me. Senses and emotions are extremely deceptive, and I constantly struggle to remember that feelings are not the equivalent of reality. However, God once again proved His reality; this time, through my sense of smell.

It started a few weeks ago with a very foul smell in the kitchen. Chris and I couldn't stand it, but we also couldn't, after scouring the cabinets, divine the source. We wrinkled our noses and shrugged our shoulders and moved on.

The story continues this past Tuesday, when we came upon a disturbing creepy-crawly in the sink, for which I will spare you the description. Let's just say it wasn't your normal insect house-pest. Chris and I were thoroughly grossed out. In retrospect, I laugh at us; as we laid down that night, I whispered, shakenly, "I wish we knew where that came from!" I could hear Chris's smile in the dark as he repeated the advice I'd given him earlier, "Just don't think about it, love."

But I did think about it, and, despite not feeling God, I prayed that He would help me find out the creature's origin.

The next day, my mentor canceled our lunch meeting (providentially; you'll see why), so I decided to scrounge for food at home. I decided to make a nice baked potato in the microwave, using the potatoes I had been storing in a "cool, dry place" for over a month. I pulled the bag from the cabinet.

Then, I promptly discovered the source of both the smell and the creepy-crawly in one stomach-turning moment. Apparently, a rotting potato makes an excellent home for them. I made a sickened, suppressed moan deep in my throat, all the fear and disgust of years rising to the surface in a drawn-out note of unmitigated internal meltdown...

So, dear reader, my prayer was heard, and I am reminded of God's concern with even the smallest details of our lives. In addition, I am now very aware of how not to store potatoes.

Don't make my mistakes, dear reader. ;) Until next time.