Noah
McVicker’s company was almost bankrupt. He
sold a putty that was used to clean coal soot off wallpaper in
people’s homes,
but times had changed. After
World War
II, most home heating systems were converted to cleaner-burning
natural gas and
that meant that McVicker’s market was gone and, soon, his company
would be as
well.
In
desperation, McVicker hired his nephew Joe to help him figure out
what to do
next. Joe had a
sister-in-law who worked
at a daycare and one day she asked if she could take some of the
company’s
product to work with her. She
thought
the kids might enjoy playing with the putty. The kids loved it! Within months, McVicker
rebrand his wallpaper
putty as a child’s toy that he called Play-Doh.
Today,
Play-Doh is one of the most successful children’s products ever. It was named one of the “Toys
of the Century”
in 2003 and, since its launch, more than 3 billion cans have been
sold. Its popularity is so
wide spread that most
people even remember the smell of it.
I
love
the fact that Noah McVicker had no idea what was coming. He thought that his company
was finished
when, in fact, it was on the edge of the greatest success he had
ever seen!
I
do
not know what you are going through today.
Things may look bleak. You
may be
tempted to give in and give up. If
that
is the case, may I remind you that there is more going on that
what you see and
know? The Bible is full
of stories of
how God turned things around at the last moment.
If
we
believe that God is taking care of us, we can get through anything
because anything
can happen!
Who
knows? Your darkest night
might just lead
to your biggest blessing.
“Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all
your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”
(Proverbs
3:5-6).
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