Why the name Treasure Chest

Since this is our first post of our blog, we wanted to tell you why we chose "Stoller's Treasure Chest" for the name of our blog.  It has a very important meaning to us and we want it to stay with us the rest of our life.

On June 6th, we found out that we had been chosen by a birth mom to adopt her baby boy due on August 5th!  On the same day we also found out that the baby was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome,  a very severe heart defect.  As you can probably imagine, we had a lot of mixed emotions about the situation and were encouraged to take our time praying about it before we would move forward.  We knew that we would want clear direction from God and have something to hold on to when the tough times come.

On that Sunday morning in church the minister told us a story that touched our heart and made God's will clear to us in our heart and mind.  (I listened to the story slow and typed it so I could share it with you)

There is a story that reminds me of a time that my father taught me the wisdom of God.  Though at the time, I don’t think he realized there was a story there.  The story took place probably when I was 13 or 14 before my dad had his accident.  We were working in the shop on Saturday morning and he had this piece of ply wood there, it was a nice piece of ply wood and he said… I don’t remember what he said or how it happened, but I decided to make a box out of this and he said I could use the table saw to make a box.  I tried to make boxes before and I forgot that wood has thickness so when you go to line up the corners they’re all crooked, but this time I was thinking.  I added the thickness of the edges, thought about the top and the bottom and how they were going to fit together.  I measured it out, drew the lines on the board and cut it in the table saw.  I set the pieces together and they were pretty good, they lined up nice.  Then it was time to put it together.  I sat down, I had about a ½ in. ply wood, I had some 8 penny nails and I knew what was going to happen when I nailed that those nails were going to split that side out.  Sneakers, we called it.  Dad was working on another project; he had a pin nailer there.  It’s a real small dainty nail that goes in and I knew enough that this problem was bigger than me.  If I wanted this box to come out right, I needed to take it to dad. 

Sometimes when we walk our spiritual walk, we learn enough… we’ve made enough mistakes that when we know that this is a problem that we need to take to God.  The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. 

 

So I took the box to him, I wanted to do it myself, but I wanted it to come out right too.  So I took it to him as you would take a spiritual problem to your God.  Say “Lord, this is bigger than I can handle” and he said sure enough.  He picked the stapler up and he set it together and it came out really nice.  The sides came out square; I had never built a box this nice before!  He set the lid on it and the lid fit just right, but then it happened.  He took that pin nailer; he nailed the lid right on the box.  I was going to find some hinges, I was going to make that lid open and close and he nailed the lid right on!  I said dad wait… “Did you say something?”  “That was the lid, you just nailed the lid on my box.”  “Oh…”   At 14 years old, your dad is the world’s greatest carpenter and he just nailed the lid on my box.

Has God ever done that for you?  You had a problem, you took it to God, you laid it at His feet and He nailed the lid right on it.  The child died…the one you were to marry for all time married another… the cancer was terminal.  You took it to the Lord; you laid it at His feet and said “Here, Lord, this is bigger than me.”  And All Mighty God nailed the lid right on the box. 

“Well, its worthless now, is it not?”  I said, “Yeah!”  But I was thinking there is still a chance, I could pry that lid off, it’s going to scare the sides up but I can pull those nails out.  There’s still going to be some holes there, but I think I can save it.  He turned the table saw on and set the side of the box down and ran is right through the table saw.  Didn’t even cut it in the middle, cut it right in half and said “Come, follow me.”  I didn’t want to go.  I didn’t care to go he just ruined my perfect box.  What was he thinking?   We went to the lumber company I was fuming the whole way.  Why? I don’t understand.  I thought we were just thinking of his own projects, he wasn’t thinking of me.  Now I have to go to the lumber company with him to buy stuff for his project, to make his things go right and here I am, I just ruined my project.  We got to the lumber yard and he said “Bob, come over here.”  I went over there and there were a couple of little brass hinges and there was a brass latch.  I’m thinking, so you just ruined my box.  He said, “No, put the pieces together like this.” The bottom half being a little bit bigger than the top half, it was a TREASURE CHEST!  It opened in the middle, not on the top.   We got 4 brass legs for the bottom and four brass legs for the top; we even got a lock with a key on it.  That box that he ruined, he turned into a treasure chest!

The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men.  So when your path gets trodden down, when you don’t trust God and it feels empty and it feels worthless, keeping walking with the Lord.  He sees more than you see.  He sees farther than you see, He really is… God!