I can’t remember the last time I beheld an onion with such joy as I did that day. I didn’t even want to cut it. But when I did, I relished the smarting tears that came as I sliced it into my cast iron frying pan and watched it begin to sizzle.

It all began with a need. Chicken fajitas were on the supper menu, and halfway through the day I realized that we were out of onions. {Our family is slightly onion-happy, so fajitas without onions just wouldn’t do.}

My husband had just left for work again after his lunch break, and part of me thought, “I’ll just send him an email and ask him to pick up an onion on the way home from work later.” Then I thought of the old fashioned days where neighbours borrowed cups of sugar and flour and practical exchanges were made.

Another thought broke through my human reasoning and whispered, as He always does, “Why not ask Me?”

And so I did. Asked Him for an onion. And decided not to ask my husband or my neighbour.

Supper time arrived and I began cutting the veggies and pan frying the chicken. Still no onion had appeared on my front step.

Children were clamouring to eat. It was time to assemble the fajitas. ‘God knew we didn’t need an onion, I thought, And so we’ll be content to eat them this way.’

Then something told me to check the onion bin one more time. I knew it was empty, because a few days earlier I had had to clean it out, due to {ahem} finding all of my onions to be rotten.

After sticking my hand down into my onion basket {and finding it empty}, I reached down to the bottom of the cabinet to set a jar upright that had fallen over.

My hand brushed something round. Small. Onion-like.

I looked, and sure enough, there was an onion. It was perfect- no spots, no rot, no slimy skin. It was like God preserved it just for this day.

And I picked it up with joy and stared and stared at it as I held it over the sink.

My husband walked through the door at that moment, and I bubbled my story into his ears.

Finally convinced myself to cut the onion- after all, God did give it to us to eat!

And when Small Son and Tiny Daughter pushed their onions to the side of their plates, I reminded them to eat and be grateful.

And told the story of when God prepared an onion. “Guess what, kids?!…”

 “What would have happened if God hadn’t given you an onion?” asked Small Son.

“Well, it would have meant that God knew we didn’t need it, and we would have eaten our onion-less fajitas with thankfulness,” I replied.

In more than 8 years of being married, I’ve seen God do “little” things like this for our family a thousand times if I’ve seen it once. For some reason, the little things often amaze me more than the big things. It is awe-inspiring to realize that the God of heaven met my seeming insignificant need or want. And at the same time, He was meeting yours! But what I love most about it?

It never gets old to watch God work.

And it never gets old to share it with my children. To watch their eyes grow big and to realize that little thing by little thing, God is becoming real to them.

Let’s Chat: How do you teach/show your children that God is real? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!