Many of you have followed our house building adventure for the past year plus.  You’ve heard me mention, ok, complain about the piles of dirt outside our windows.  Read here and Here  After almost a year of waiting, we realized that our original excavator wasn’t going to be able to come back.  I had been telling the Lord that He was in charge of even our piles of dirt.  Who came to help us and when was in his hands.

I mentioned our dilemma to a dear friend who knows a lot about a lot of things.  She gave me the name of an excavator who had done excellent work for the school where she teaches.  We were blown away that a busy excavator would come promptly to our house to give us a bid.  We chatted a bit about small and big things.  He goes to the same church we do, but because it is large, we had not previously met.  When he explained all that needed to be done and what it would cost, we gulped and politely thanked him for his time.  As he pulled out of the driveway, we looked at each other in shock.  The total amount was almost two and half times the amount we had set aside for the job, all that was left of our building fund.  My heart sank.  “Ok, Lord, you know what you’re doing.  I guess this isn’t the man for our job.  You’ll provide at the right time.”

Fast forward to the following evening.  Husband answers the phone.  Curious about the call, I stop in laundry room long enough to hear him reply, “I don’t know what to say.”  I’m intrigued because Husband is rarely at a loss for words.  I wait not so patiently till the conversation ends.

“What was that all about?” says I.

“That was the excavator.  He says he couldn’t get us off his mind all day.  He feels God wants him to do our dirt work.  For free.  He said whatever money we had set aside for the work we should give to the church building fund.”

I’m dumbfounded.  Who ever heard of such a thing?!  Yes, we had prayed and trusted.  And waited.  But we had never imagined something so clearly a God thing.

And so, after a year of waiting, the work began with gusto.  In a matter of hours, the dirt piled up from making room for our foundation was transferred across our property to make a privacy berm between us and our closest neighbor.

Then the excavator began cutting back the remaining bank in order to meet regulations for clearance between house and bank.  But instead of the minimum distance, the generous man cut a wide swath to give us breathing room and then cut away a terrace for flower beds so the bank wasn’t so tall around the house.  (!!!)

But terraces for flower beds weren’t the only above-and-beyond gift.  The second afternoon of work he stopped and asked me, “Did you want a waterfall?  I just can’t get waterfall out of my head as I’ve been working.”

How did he know that since we built the house, I’ve wanted to put in a waterfall? In fact, I had Husband put an electrical outlet on the outside of the house for a pump that the someday-waterfall would need.  I had dreamed small.  A little trickle of water falling a few feet into a watering trough.

I assured him that I would love a waterfall.  How could he even think of adding to his unpaid work on our project?!  Amazed, I returned to the house and the sound of the heavy equipment droned on.

Presently, Husband came home from the dentist and I went out to greet him.  But what should meet my eyes, but a magnificently cut waterfall.  Well, actually not a waterfall, but waterfalls.  Three courses for the water to follow.  Shelves, drops, all artistically cut into the bank.

“Give as freely as you have received!”  Matthew 10:8

Then came the hours of loosening the packed dirt which had been under the piles and spreading it into gentle slopes to follow the contours of the land.  As if this wasn’t enough work, the excavator had carefully separated the topsoil from the underlying clay mix.  After he was satisfied with his rearrangement of the soil, he skillfully spread the topsoil on top of the clay.  Oh, joy!  My chances of having a lush yard just skyrocketed!  I wanted to hug him.

Thinking of the three days of work, the fuel and oil, the wear and tear on his equipment, and the loss of paid work I felt humbled.  Why should he serve us like this?  And serve us Extravagantly.  He could have spent a lot less time and done the minimum.  But no, he went all out.  It was such a lesson to me of what happens when members of Jesus’ body serve each other from the heart.  He gave us a gift we could have never paid for.  I wonder what would happen if we Christ lovers gave like this to our brothers and sisters regularly? It made me eager to look for ways to serve so others could be blessed like we were.  What can I contribute to someone’s life?

“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”  Galatians 6:10

What can you do for someone that they can’t afford or don’t have the skill or time to do?  What has someone done for you that makes you eager to pay it forward?  How can you help instill generosity in those you love who are young?  Hint:  Leading by example is powerful.  Storytelling is powerful.  Share what someone did for you that blessed you.  Share one time you did something for someone and you felt blessed.  Let your children or grandchildren participate with you in helping someone.  Let them taste the joy of blessing others.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”  Luke 6:38

P.S.  Yesterday the excavator’s  sixteen-year-old daughter came over at my invitation to have her portraits done as a gift to her dad.  What a delight she was!  So mature, so deep.  I enjoyed working together with her because she was so easy to be with, so happy to follow coaching, and so imaginative, contributing great ideas for the shoot.  I’m impressed.  And she loves photography.  Yet another blessing from the excavator.