Cashing in My Blessings

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plns to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you You will seek me and find me when you see me with all your heart. I will be found by you ' declares the Lord, 'and will bring you back from captivity." Jeremiah 29: 11 - 14

I started this blog a week ago and didn't feel it was being written correctly. For that reason I shut down my computer and waited. Now I know why.

Today in the Bible study the girls and I were doing on the way to school, we read where Saul would not destroy everything as God had commanded, but yet kept the animals for sacrifices to God. The age-old, well rehersed verse, "Obedience is better than sacrifice" - I had the girls repeat it a few times. (Now is the time to build thier foundation on God and give them something to fall back on when they are adults.)

See, I have this dear friend of mine. Miss M. I love Miss M. She offered us her pears this year. As much as I tried to get over there, something always came up. One day I called her at dark-thirty and asked if she cared for me to glean her tree. To my delight, she was taking a day off. Yeah!

I came over and wouldn't you know, we had an impromptu Bible study right there. She had her Bible opened to Romans where she had been studying. I love Romans. Especially Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." I love that verse so much I wrote it in majic marker all across the living room window. How we need to remember that.

This verse comes out of the love section of that chapter. It continues with "Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute (or curse) you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn. " You really need to just read the whole chapter, it's got so much good advice in there.

Be joyful in Hope: How often do we hold back on being joyful because we fear an upcoming event. We are afraid others will find us odd. We don't want to have the wind taken out of our sails. How sad! We should be joyful! "Rejoice in the Lord always!" "The Joy of the Lord is our strength" And we let the enemy take our joy? Our strength? Let's not mistake joy for happiness. Happiness is based on the situation at hand, joy is much, much more permanent and stronger. It's a healing tool. "Rejoice in the Lord always .... and again.... I say REJOICE!"

Patient in Affliction: Sometimes it seems it will never end. The rut. The day. The month. The issue at hand is bigger than Goliath (who was over 9 feet tall by the way). The circumstance...oh when is God going to move! Patient in affliction - know why? Cause that's how me makes us stronger. That's the barbells of our spiritual body. This is how me flexes our spiritual muscels.

You know all that 'extra stuff' I said was in my Bible? Here is some of my favorite extra stuff. "God doesn't promise to eliminate challenges; instead, he promises to give us strength to meet those challenges. If he gave us no rough roads to walk, no mountains to clim, and no battles to fight, we would not grow. He does not leave us alone with our challenges, however. Instead he stands beside us, teaches us, and strengthens us to face them." (based on Psalm 18:32 - 34)

Faithful in Prayer: Don't we all do better when we talk to our friends? I know God is aware of what goes on in our day-to-day life, but even he said he 'longs to hear from us'. It's not that we do Him a service, but think about it, aren't you more in tune with the friend you talk to on a day to day basis than a once-in-a-while basis? And let's all keep in mind, 'we do not have, because we do not ask'. We like to hear from our children. How would we feel if they kept to themselves? And...it makes us stronger. You want to be close to God, talk to him. He's willing, he's waiting and he's ready.

Back to the pears:

So we had our Bible study and went out to pick pears. I have never picked pears before. So we have a ladder, climb up between hornets the length of my middle finger, grab this tree and shake the dog dooty out of it. I mean pears are flying off in all directions. It was the funnies thing I've experienced in a while. (other than the time my son fell out of his seat and landed head first in a bucket, that was pretty funny too. Legs all up in the air.....)

Pears are flying through the air, bouncing off our heads, some are going SPLAT! on the ground. It was a blast! We had a HUGE box of them. I've made pear butter and pear jam. Looking forward to partaking of that crop!

We're having lunch and enjoying the day when she says to me, "I have something for you." She hands me $100 bill. GUYS! I started to cry. "You can't do this, you need this." "Listen, God told me to give this to you. And it's 10% of what he gave me to help me out. I want you to have this." I'm now bawling. (right there in the resturaunt) I was laughing and crying, I went to the bank to make a withdrawal and made a deposit instead!!!

See, just that week I went to a cheerleading meeting where shoes are $40, sweat outfits - $40, and then there's other stuff. I sat there in the chair trying not to cry, reminding myself, God will provide. He knows your situation. He is faithful. He still sits on a golden throne. Have faith. I said nothing to anyone. In fact that very day I didn't say much for fear I'd spill over. And here he goes to prove once again, "I love you and I will take care of you."

OHHHHHHH and that's not all!

Yesterday the cheer coach tells me that since her daughter is in volleyball as well (got one in that sport too) that she'll take my cheerleader to practice and save me the running. (thank you God again)

I was so grateful. Now I had a day with my youngest daughter. Poor Dink often feels she gets pushed to the side because her older sisters are more aggressive than her and Bubs takes up lots of time and attention. Here we had sometime together, I was so happy!

We went to Wally World (that's walmart for those of you who aren't - or rather won't admit that you are - rednecks) We were going to look at shoes. I get there and find out she already has shoes. We look anyhow.

Here we are in the isle having a good time. She's trying on one shoe after another. She puts on this boy shoe. I tease her, 'you aren't a boy dink, you are too pretty'. The lady in the isle tells me how her granddaughter says she's a boy - actually insists she's a boy. We got to talking. Dink asked for the shoes.

I had to tell her, you need to look at shoes for winter. I can't afford to buy shoes cause they are pretty. This woman and I continue talking. She asked why I couldn't buy them. Listen, I'm not proud, I don't mind not having much. I explained the situation very briefly and said, "she's one of four children and I can only afford to get what we need. But you know what, things will change. Right now every need is supplied, we are happy and it won't always be this way." She tells me I have a good attitude and that my daughter is beautiful. Enjoy her. Oh, I do! She goes down the isle.

Dink and I are dancing in the isle, I'm petting her head like a cat and making 'meow' sounds when the lady comes back around. Dink and I are laughing at being 'caught'. She comes up and whispers, "I like your daughter, get her the shoes." Shoves a $20 in my hands. I tear up. God does it again! "Listen, you don't have to do this," handing it back to her "we're okay" She says, "just pass it on one day." I bawled. I bawled all over that woman trying not to get mascara on her. I didn't expect it, I didn't have to have it.

What? God isn't just meeting our needs, but our wants also? How good is He?

She said, "is that enough to get a little something for the others as well?" Like if it weren't I would ask for more. This lady drove a long way to come to a funeral, and she does this? I cried and cried. (I'm crying now)

There were things I was needing to get each child. One needs this item of clothing, another needs this and that. I even got Bubs something.

Please, don't read this thinking "Oh, poor thing, she needs money. She's on hard times." That's not it. God takes care of me. It's just these times when He sneaks in and lets you know he loves you that moves me.

Reminder: God said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So, if God seems far away - who moved?

Come back.