The Oatmeal Story

ByDeborah Raney
39 Comments

oats (1)A collection of oatmeal tins and boxes sits atop the cupboards in our kitchen. I love the look of the old round Quaker Oats and Irish Oats packages, but that’s not why I collect them. There’s a story behind those colorful boxes, and every time I tell it, I’m reminded all over again of God’s loving care for His children.

The story begins in 1975 when my husband of barely four months “dragged” me off to live in New York. Ken was pursuing an illustration career, and back in the day before e-mail and Fed-Ex and the Internet, an illustrator needed to live near the publishing houses. So New York, it was. We were young and dumb, and we didn’t bother securing jobs before we made the thirty-plus hour drive across the nation with all our worldly goods packed into a 24-foot Ryder truck. After all, we had a thousand dollars in our pockets, and a thousand dollars was a lot of money. In 1974. In Kansas.

New York, not so much.

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We stayed in a cheap hotel for a couple of days while we looked for an apartment to rent. After paying for the rental truck, the hotel, a deposit on our apartment, and a few groceries, our money was gone. I found a job a few days later, working at a boutique in a mall, but my income was exactly enough to pay the rent. Three months later, Ken was still looking. Potential employers had a don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you policy—not conducive to getting a job if you couldn’t afford the $60 deposit to get phone service. (This was before cell phones, remember.)

Someday I just might write a memoir about our newlywed days in New York, but to make a long story shorter, in those months before Ken found work, we went through a time when we literally did not have one thin dime to our names (the price of a postage stamp and a pay phone call in those days…much to our worried parents’ chagrin!)

IMG_8046For one memorable week, we lived on oatmeal. The first couple of days, we had lovely warm oatmeal with sugar, whole milk, and even a can of peaches to top it off. We literally ate oatmeal—the only thing left in our cupboard—for breakfast, lunch, and supper. After a few days, the peaches were long gone, and then the milk ran out. No problem. We just made the oatmeal a little thinner and a little sweeter. But toward the end of the week, the sugar canister, too, was empty.

We are here to testify that if you must survive on one food alone, oatmeal—even without milk and sugar—is an excellent choice. As my mother always told us as kids, “It sticks to your ribs.” During that week, we were never truly hungry. Oh, we were hungry for something, anything, besides oatmeal, but God had provided a “manna” of sorts, which wonderfully sustained us until Ken finally found a job and we were able to fill the cupboards again.

Many times over the years, we’ve told our children—and anyone else who will listen—of the way God took care of us during that time in New York. We look back on it as a time when God sealed our love for each other as husband and wife, and sealed our faith in Him. We had each other and Jesus—and we learned that is a very good place to be.

Fast forward to February 2009, and my husband comes home from work in the middle of a Friday morning to tell me that he’s been laid off from his advertising manager position after twenty-five faithful years with his company. A very difficult few months—the hardest time of our entire marriage—somehow made me forget all those lessons learned.

And then one day, in the midst of emotional chaos and conflict, an odd-shaped package arrived in the mail from our oldest daughter. Curious, we opened it to find a box of Quaker Oats. We knew even before we read Tobi’s sweet note, what that oatmeal represented. And we cried. We may have forgotten God’s provision all those thirty-five years before, but our kids hadn’t forgotten the story of God’s care for us.

That oatmeal box (we ate the oats) with the Quaker man in the blue hat still sits high atop our cupboards where we can see it every day, an Ebenezer stone reminding us: “thus far the Lord has helped us.” (I Samuel 7:12)

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What are the “Ebenezer stones” in your life—those things that are tangible reminders of how the Lord has brought you through a difficult time, carried you when you couldn’t carry yourself? I am so deeply thankful that He is Yahweh-Yireh, Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider.

 

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DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a four-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.

39 Comments

  3. Love this story Deb! And it’s so great that you passed it on to your kids and they could remind you! My husband preached about those stones in his first message at our church. I’ve kept a list of events that have shown God’s grace and provision in our life. It’s folded in my Bible and I love taking it out and remembering all He has done for us. : )

    1. Thank you, Carrie. Early in our marriage, Ken suggested I start keeping a notebook of all God’s faithful provisions and answered prayers. I did that pretty faithfully for a few years, but got out of the habit. Thankfully, I am a keeper of e-mails…hundreds of thousands of them, and they tell the story (as I told it to our kids and parents and friends).

  4. How wonderful He is to his children. I love that your daughter reminded you later of things you had taught her over the years. We had a seemingly endless supply of left-over turkey during a time of financial struggle and have used that as an Ebenezer stone throughout our life together. God is faithful. God is good.

    1. I love that turkey story, Anne. And if you’re like we are, you may have gotten tired of turkey/oatmeal, but you never truly went hungry.

  5. Wonderful story. Not only is it a testimony to God’s provision, but it is a testimony to why we need to share the stories of his love. So that when we are lost in the dark places of trial, others can remind us of how God provided for us in the past. I love that you daughter sent you that oatmeal. What a perfect message with no words needed. Thanks for the reminder to tell the stories and keep tangible reminders around us as Ebenezer stones. Love that idea!

  6. What a beautiful story, Deborah. It brought me back to our own early years when we had to trust God for everything. But unfortunately we forget when times are more prosperous. How wonderful that you passed those lessons to your children!

  7. Thanks for this beautiful story. It brought tears to my eyes. We all go through such times, and it is so good to remember to trust in God.

  8. “We had each other and Jesus—and we learned that is a very good place to be.” Amen!

    God grows our faith when we take on those things (that He leads us to do) that we’ll fail at without His help. It’s in those moments that we realize that His help really *is* enough. I feel that way with every manuscript I write because I’m so aware that He’s asked me to take on something bigger than I am. With every manuscript so far, He’s provided and equipped…. even when the “oatmeal” of my own inspiration grew thin and the sugar ran dry.

    1. Awesome, Becky. And now those finished books compose a whole mountain of Ebenezer stones that testify of His faithfulness! I just love how He works!

  9. I so needed this reminder today. My husband has been out of work for a year, but throughout that year, God has never left us nor forsaken us. Our family just found out this past week that my dad has cancer, and though the enemy would have me to worry and fret, I am choosing to trust God to take care of him and remember that by the stripes of Jesus He was healed. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

    1. Oh, Velma, I’m so sorry. And I’m praying for you today, that God will continue to provide everything you need, and that he will touch your dad and offer His miraculous healing and comfort you all as you walk this hard road. Blessings on you and your family.

  10. What a beautiful story, Deborah. And how special that your children remember it and know the lesson it teaches. I, too, was laid off after twenty-five years with the same company, but looking back now, I see why – that he was moving me away, showing me how to let go, so he could introduce me to a new life, my dear husband, and another chapter in my journey. He had truly taken care of me when I saw no way out and couldn’t take care of myself anymore.

    1. Isn’t hindsight amazing, Marilyn? 🙂 And that’s exactly what Ken says God was doing with his layoff too: moving him into the wonderful new life we’re now leading. We are happier than we could have imagined and we never would have made the changes to get where we are without that little “boost” from the Lord. 🙂

  11. I have my cane. I don’t need it because my crippled spirit is whole, but I love its reminder, so it remains in plain sight where I can remember and praise Him every day for His healing.

    1. Ah, I know that story, Kim, and it’s a beautiful one! And how wise to hang on to that “Ebenezer cane” as a reminder of His amazing plan for your life. (I’m so glad it included me being your friend!)

  12. Such a beautiful post, Deborah! We all need reminders like this throughout our lives. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

    1. Thank you for your encouraging words, Winnie! (P.S. My mom’s name is Winnie…short for Winifred…so you already have a special place in my heart. 🙂 )

  13. Enjoyed this post, so much, Deb. It reminded me of the days in 1992 when I had colon cancer. My Ebeneeza stone is every time I can successfully “empty” naturally, no colostomy as was thought, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness and goodness. I had a second cancer which was supposed to be surgically removed. They did operate, removing my female organs, but cancer was not found – the cancer that had been biopsied and seen during diagnostic surgery, was gone. The doctor wrote on my medical records that it was divine intervention. July will be 21st year of being free of cancer. I am caregiver to 92 year old aunt who lives with us who is also mentally challenged. She’s been with us since 1990. I believe that’s part of the Lord’s plan in saving my life. She also is a miracle – having been denied oxygen at birth and having a hole in her heart, was not expected to live past 12. I’ve picked up a certificate in nutrition and help those in my corner of the world who face cancer. He turned a very difficult time in my life around for good, just as He promises each whosoever will..

    1. What an amazing story, Donna! You are a walking miracle! And how wonderful that you are using that new life to care for your aunt, who is a miracle herself. I just love stories like yours!

  14. Such a wonderful story. Its so good to remember to trust in God!

    I have some pictures on my refrigerator that remind me of special times that made me stronger.

  15. Thank you for sharing this story. It brought tears to my eyes. It is also a beautiful reminder that the Lord does always provide.

    1. LOL! It took Ken and me a few years before we could look a bowl of oatmeal in the eye. But now we eat it joyfully (with half-and-half and sugar AND French Vanilla creamer for good measure! 😉 ) and remember while we do.

  18. Deb, I love your story of God’s provision and care! I have many times in my life when I have felt God’s touch and have known He was there. Within the first year of our marriage, I had two miscarriages. After the second one I told the Lord not to let me get pregnant until He was ready to help me carry the baby. I did get pregnant a short time later. We had to move about the same time in the pregnancy that I had lost the others and I began to spot. Angrily, I went to bed and told the Lord I had told Him not to do that!! I picked up my Bible and opened it to Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” My “good work”, our son, Kelly, is now 44.

  19. What a special story of God’s goodness, faithfulness and love for you, his children. Thank you for sharing this bit of your life with us. I do hope you will write a memoir sometime! (I’m glad you still enjoy oatmeal… it’s one of my breakfast staples.)

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