I am learning to trust God with money.
About time, right?
As a high school and college student, I had no pressing financial obligations.
I paid my way through Frontier School of the Bible by babysitting and nannying for wealthy neighbors in Charlotte.
I had a few thousand in savings. I had no bills to pay.
Then Jeremiah and I got married. Hello, reality!
Money has been one of the most difficult components of our marriage, and as we grew up highly differing socio-economic areas and homes, we have worked through many differences.
God's grace is opening my heart and mind to trust Him, to do the best I can with what I am given, and to rejoice in the abundant plenty He has poured into my (our) life.
The past several months have been a test, and I am learning that no matter what we plan, emergencies arise and once again, our emergency fund is depleted. To be honest, it's depressing at times.
However, God has a few words to say on this subject.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be
rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
These words breathe joy, peace and hope into my life. Yes, we are and will continue to be the best stewards possible of what God has given us. We are saving for a house, and that means we have to cut back on frivilous spending , or cut it out almost altogether. However, on the hard days, when disappointment and frustration threaten to overshadow the grace thread holding us together, these verses are a beacon of God's beautiful truth.
Are we rich in Him? Yes. Are we incredibly wealthy compared to a huge percentage of the world? Yes. Do we have pleasant food to eat, palatable water to drink, shelter to protect us from the elements, and our own transportation? Yes. Can we fix our hope fully on and in Him? Yes.
These verses shout into my brain, I AM RICH! MY LIFE OVERFLOWS WITH BLESSING AND PLENTY! HE GIVES ME GOOD WORKS TO DO FOR HIM AND OTHERS!
Would you like to know my riches?
Some of them have names, too many to list here.
My riches are laughing, joyful children, riding to church with us, infecting my sometimes too adult spirit with their blind love of life. They don't care that they live in a motel, have their own social worker, and are different from the other kids at school. These kids love life. Fully, unabashedly, against all odds. Past abuse isn't stopping them. Living in a one parent household isn't stopping them. Being around adults who get drunk too much isn't stopping them. They are running into the gushing fire hose of life and embracing every happy moment they can, making every moment possible a joyful one. And guess what? These kids are my riches. My life is so full of the joy that they bring that I don't think of my time with them as service, even though many pat me on the back for it. They are children. They need love. They need a big sister and mother figure, and I am one. Period. I can't imagine my life without them, and I don't want to.
My life is rich in relationships, from a pregnant dog who is eating for six (or so we imagine), to my ever-loving and patient husband who I simply CANNOT thank God enough for, to parents who are extremely involved in my life from 1500 miles away, to in-laws who love me as their own. God has brought me beautiful girlfriends, each with their own story of grace and love to shine into others' lives.
Yes, sometimes it is hard to pay the bills. It is hard to make it through the month. But how can I begrudge God of that when He has richly given me all I need to live and love life, including the hard times, and live each moment for Him? I simply cannot.
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gifts!
Showing posts with label gratefulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gratefulness. Show all posts
Friday, March 23, 2012
Monday, February 7, 2011
Eucharisteo
"What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?" Psalm 116:2
Today I give thanks because I do not understand. Today I give thanks because worrying about tomorrow will not grow me a cubit, or even an inch. Today I give thanks because He sees every sparrow that falls, and He will not let me fall.
This tangible record of gratitude is not a trend. It is the only way, right now, that I can figure out how to survive, to turn back to Him, to rejoice, to revel in life in the face of deep mysteries I cannot grasp.
1. A safe journey on crowded, icy mountain roads with low visibility
2. Time spent with my dad
3. The hospitality and concern of others who barely know us in putting us up for the night
4. Snow, never ending, turning the mountains into a winter wonderland
5. A fireplace
6. Grace- God giving me a free gift I do not deserve. Free gifts. This life. My middle name- grace- all that I have, I do not deserve. This life, I do not deserve. Grace...I am here and He is in me.
7. Our needs met, day by day, moment by moment
8. A continual fierce struggle for growth in my walk with Christ, different than ever before
9. God's provision of a firefighting job for my husband
10. God's purpose in all things
11. Being taught joy in places I never thought possible
12. One of those places...another provision, my job
13. More women to cultivate relationships with and minister to here
14. A delightful day cleaning the house and cooking homemade pasta
15. Family with whom to share our home and a meal
16. My sister coming, SOON!
17. A week off of work to spend time with her and our youth group girls
18. New babies in the family- two already here and two coming very soon! :)
19. The fruits of the Spirit slowly, painfully coming alive in my fleshly self.
20. Sharing life together with a sweet friend and watching her grow
Friday, January 21, 2011
Halal
Halal (Hebrew): To be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamourously) foolish; to rave; to celebrate-commend, give light, be mad, renowned, shine.
Praise is the English word for halal.
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all His praise?
Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
Psalm 106:1-3
This passage becomes unspeakably powerful by focusing on the meaning of one word: halal. Praise (halal) the LORD! Halal is using myself and my life to shine on Him, illuminating who He is; that I am making a show of Him in a positive way, boasting so much in Him that I become a fool to the world. It is celebrating Who He is, day in and day out, in everyday moments as I give my light to Him, the great God whom I serve.
The command to halal the LORD is immediately followed by another command to give thanks to the LORD. My heart rejoices. How can I not see His hand, His gentle touch, the beauty that He generously gives out daily for my benefit?
How can I halal? How can you? The answer is clear. Easy to write down, perhaps not so easy to do. Verse two tells me that my God does mighty deeds. He is powerful, and His power enables you and I to halal in
housekeeping
messes made by animals, children, husbands, self
dirt, dust, disorder
imperfection
all of the routine tasks that comprise one's day.
HALAL! Lately I have not given my God the halal, the grateful heart that He deserves, but He is so gentle and gracious to pull me back to look at Him and once again see the overwhelming beauty that fills my daily life. Let me share a few halals with you.
A husband who is gracious, generous, forgiving. How he loves like Christ is daily convicting and inspiring.
A sister-in-law who safely delivered a healthy baby boy.
Parents, family, and in-laws who are so loving.
A sweet, rambunctious puppy and a quiet cat
Enough pantry food to last for months- from His hand
A job for my husband- a direct answer to prayer
A wise friend gracing my life from far away
And the list could go on and on!
Halal does not mean to be grateful, but one way that you and I can point to and magnify our God is to be grateful. I can render Him thanks for rejoicing and for heartbreak, for sunny days and for torrential downpours. My halels are more than material things, and I can and certainly should praise Him in any and every situation. This is not always natural, but He can create in me and you a heart of praise that continually turns back to Him in all situations. Let this be the song of my life.
No one can utter all of His mighty deeds or declare all his halal (verse two), but there is higher aim than to use our lives, every mundane moment, each situation our finite minds cannot grasp, to make a show of our God, to point to Him with an unending halal.
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| Our little town |
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| My first homemade wreath |
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| Our mouser |
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| A piano for free! Useful in so many ways |
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| My greatest gift besides my Savior and salvation |
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| An incredible godly woman... truly an answer to prayer |
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| Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD! Psalm 106:48 |
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