Mayonnaise from Heaven

I was looking for a job two years into my divorce. It was difficult due to a 14-year gap in my résumé from being a stay-at-home mom. I was very worried about finances and how I would support my two children.
At that time, my teenage son had recently discovered chicken salad sandwiches, and we were going through a ton of 30 oz jars of mayonnaise!

Due to inflation, the price of groceries (including mayonnaise) had skyrocketed. I called the company, and they sent me a coupon for a free jar.

I felt the emotions pour in as I walked through the aisles with a coupon to claim my free jar. The feeling of fear swept over me as I felt like I wouldn’t be able to provide for my children and all the other future unknowns. It wasn’t about the free mayonnaise but the symbolism of what it meant to me. I put a few inexpensive cans of beans on the conveyor belt to make a small purchase, not just get an item for no cost.

I got back to the car, keeping my emotions inside. My kids were in the backseat with the air conditioner running, and I was standing in front of the vehicle. Suddenly, my sister called, and the floodgates opened. I turned my back so the kids could not see me cry, and I bawled! A mixture of emotions came pouring out: the stress, the worry, and the fear of failing to provide for my children.

Fast forward several weeks, I was putting away five jars of mayonnaise I had amassed. I struggled to find room to put all the mayonnaise jars and would need to give some away. A different store than the one where I had redeemed the “free mayonnaise coupon” had started sending me “best customer” offers for, you guessed it, Free Mayonnaise of all things!

And that’s when it hit me.

God is showing me that He is still providing! It wasn’t about the mayonnaise; it was what it represented—the symbolism of it. The one thing that represented all of the fear and worry that I wouldn’t be able to provide for my children was now being used by God to show the abundance He had provided! Mayonnaise from Heaven, indeed!