Happy 2012! What did you do to ring in the New Year? Were you sleeping or at a party? Were you with friends or family? Did you celebrate midnight watching the Red Bull stunt or watching the ball drop? I spent my night with my family playing Phase 10 and having a wonderful time catching up with them. Its a great feeling to have your worries and cares seem to melt away when you enjoy the company of those you love and care about. The "problems" don't necessarily go away but it puts into perspective what really is important, what really matters.
The last part of 2011 was a hard time for our family. New schools, new job, new place to live......all were difficult changes that made. With that came unseen expenses and bills but the Lord is good! He has provided for our needs in ways I couldnt imagine. Out of hopelessness He has carried our family and I believe brought us closer.
I would like to share with you an instance of God's provision:
December can be a hard month for people, financially, spiritually, and emotionally. The can be a sense of emptiness from the loss of a loved one or the pain of seeing those you love struggle physically or financially. There is the cost of purchasing presents for family and friends along with all the monthly bills and for us it felt like a heavy burden......
My wife and I were in the process of Christmas shopping and all I could think about was the fact that every dollar spent was another dollar that wasn't going towards rent. Needless to say, I was having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit.
Like I said in a previous post, we have been learning in church the fact that God will supply for our needs and that we need to trust in him. This lesson is something that I have been struggling with for a long time and it has been refreshing to watch God work in amazing ways to provide for our family. I don't remember what cause my change of heart but I was able to enjoy my date with my wife.
We shopped at the mall, thrift stores, and bookstores and found presents for everyone on our list. We had a wonderful dinner at Subway and enjoyed each others company. It was a good night.
We were blessed on Christmas with gift cards and money that allowed us to afford to go to Des Moines the next weekend. Thanks Nancy and Grandma Emery. My brothers even offered to pay for a hotel room and for gas money for our trip.They called it a SkilCut Christmas present. Thanks Josh and Caleb!
After budgeting for the trip to Iowa and praying for no car troubles.....lol......I determined that we were approximately $225 short for our rent that was due on the first of the month. There were no more paychecks coming and no other way of making any more money. In addition to that, there was an unexpected bill that put us even further in the hole. There was nothing that I could think of that could solve our situation.
But God is good.....My grandmother blessed us with Christmas money while we were down in Des Moines. Before we left I recieved some health insurance documents showing what medical expenses I needed to withdrawal from my Company's Health Savings Account (HSA). In looking at the checkbook further, it was noticed that a number of these expenses were already paid out of pocket and that the money that we would get back was ours to keep. This amount was right around.......$225.
I am writing the rent check today with thankfulness in my heart for what God has done. God is good, all the time and all the time God is good.
As we enter into this New Year I pray that God will work in a special way in each or my reader's lives. May He bless you in amazing ways and give you peace in any struggles you may be dealing with.
Here is part of one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Psalm 91:
"Because he loves me say the Lord, I will rescue him. I will protect him because he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
GOD BLESS!!!!!!
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