Blessings

A few months ago, we entered a new season of life.  Nathan took a new job at our church when he shut his last business down.  He is now the Director of Junior High and the Facilities Manager.  (Who would have ever thought that I would be a pastor's wife!)  We are making less money this year than we have since we've been married.  For those of you who are a little more seasoned in life, you will know that it is extremely difficult to ever move backward on the income front.  Expenses don't change, but all the sudden, there is less coming in.  We entered into this time knowing we would have to budget carefully and be thrifty.  We also knew the Lord would have to provide for us.

It has been fun to figure out how to get by on less and find good deals.  Well, I don't know if FUN is the right word, but it has been interesting.  For those of you who know my husband, you know he loves to hunt for bargains and is a KING at finding amazing deals on Craigslist.  Well, if he is the king of Craigslist, then I am becoming the queen at saving money while shopping.  We now have a very, very small budget for going out each month and personal "fun money".  This has led us to pretty much try and eat at home most of the time now and even take our lunches to work.  In the midst of doing this we are trying to cut back on our grocery budget as well. This can be a challenge!

So, I spend a good part of my week hunting down deals and coupons and this last week I had my most successful week ever!  Being that it was the last weekend of the month, I had about $71 dollars left for this week's groceries.  I scoured the papers and the blogs that I have links to in the side of this blog, and all the coupon websites and guess what?  I got $158.17 worth of groceries and walked out of the store paying a total of $62.03.  Which means I saved $96.14. (I literally just copied this from my receipt!)  As you can see, we ended the month $9.00 under budget on our groceries, which was perfect, because I spent 7 of those dollars filling up our 5 gallon water cooler jugs.  So, that part has actually become kind of fun...it's almost like treasure hunting each week!

The most important part of this journey though is that my husband finally has a job that he loves and that is confirmed to us over and over that this is exactly where the Lord wants him to be.  For you wives out there, you will understand this statement...a man's worth and contentment is very strongly tied to his success and enjoyment of his job.  As much as making more money sounds good,( it could mean more or better vacations, it could mean me getting to be a stay at home mom, it could mean providing more things for our son, and so on and so on), I would much prefer to have a man who is full of joy and contentment.  Now, even when he works a long day, he comes home tired, but content.  He may be stressed, but I can see him enjoying the challenge.  This is worth more to me and Judah than any amount of money!

In all of this, we have seen the Lord provide in such amazing and tangible ways.  We have had friends give us or let us borrow their used high chairs, toys, books, bumbos and boppies, and many other things that make having a child easier. Over this last year we have had dear friends let us borrow clothes for Judah since they have a son who is 3 months older.  Basically when he grows out of things, they clean out the closet put them in bags and give them to us.  God has literally  kept our son clothed in really cute clothes and shoes without us having to pay for it!  

The most recent and exciting blessing came from a friend who heard me saying that Judah has started showing a huge love of all things bicycle.  Whenever he sees one, he wants to get on it, even when it's way to big for him.  I have wanted to get him one of those little tricycles that have a long handle for the parents to push and turn without having to bend over and break their back, but they aren't cheap.  I figured I could put this as a wishlist item to grandparents for Christmas, but hated to put such an expensive item on the list.  Anyway...when this gal heard me say this at church, she ends up telling me, they have one that was just collecting dust in their garage since their kids have grown to big for it and they would love to let us borrow it (maybe even keep it if they don't have more kids.)  GOD IS SO GOOD!!  These are those little things that make me feel like I just got a huge hug from Him!  He didn't have to do that.  We ask him to provide for our needs, but this wasn't a need, it was just a want of mine.  And He even provided this for our son!  Check it out..It is so cute, and I can't wait to put Judah on it this evening and go for a walk!  He is going to love this SOO much more than the stroller!

It has been a while since I took the time to post on my blog, but I was filled with so much wonder and awe at the Lord's goodness.  Things are still a stretch and we still pray every day for the Lord to provide for us and give us wisdom in decisions we will need to make every month, but what an adventure we are on! I was reminded of the verse Matthew 25:40 which says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

I pray that the Lord will pour out his blessings a hundred fold on the people who have blessed us.  It may have seemed insignificant to them, but it has meant so much to us!  I am so in awe of these blessings and how He uses others to be a part of His grand plan.  I love being a part of a community of friends and believers who love us and love the Lord!  God is good!  I know that whatever comes in the future, the Lord will take care of us.  I'm not going to say it will be EASY in those tough times to believe, but I know as we rely on Him to provide, we will grow into a deeper understanding of just how much He loves us!

(I'll take some pictures of Judah on this new bike and will post them soon sometime! I would like to promise that I will do it soon, but I'm just hoping it won't be another 2 months.  I won't promise anything!  That way you can't call me a liar!)  :-)