I woke up this morning desperate for some one on one time
with God. I didn’t get any this weekend while we were away, and after the “adventure”
we had, my spirit was severely depleted. Let me just recap the highlights of
our weekend before I get to the main point of this post.
First of all, we absolutely had an amazing time. It was exhausting, because well, we have 6 kids under 9, but we had a blast. However, Satan was throwing stones (at times it felt like boulders) at us the entire time.
First of all, we absolutely had an amazing time. It was exhausting, because well, we have 6 kids under 9, but we had a blast. However, Satan was throwing stones (at times it felt like boulders) at us the entire time.
Let me start with Friday night when Dave’s car battery died
three times while he was taking Spanky to his respite family. He ended up
having to buy a new one on the way home. Unexpected expense #1.
We had planned to head out by 11 Saturday morning, but our first hiccup was that we did not have the bungee cords for our roof carrier, so Dave had to run out and get those. By the time we loaded and got on the road, it was after 1. However, we needed air in our tires and lunch for the kids so we shot down wards to Sheetz (free air)…. Mistake #1, Wards on the Saturday before Christmas. We pull up to sheetz and get stuck in a line of about 6 cars waiting for air. So we decide to go to Walmart first then come back. All went well at first, I shot through the store as fast as I could and then checked- out. I even found a $5 pizza half price. However, after the cashier rung me up, I noticed she charged me full price for the pizza. I rationalized arguing over $2.50, but I figured let me at least ask. She said, oh yes, I’m sorry, customer service can help you…. Again, I wondered if it was worth it, but I went over and got through the line in a couple minutes. All seemed well until this cashier was struggling to get the correct discounted price as well. He tried 3 times, then called the manager. At this point I’m kicking myself for even worrying about $2.50 and had it not been for feeling like I would have wasted his time, I would have just left. But I sat there… for a good 15 minutes. Oh well, it bought us a quest bar later.
We get air and get on the road by 3:00. I was frustrated by the delay but tried to not let it get to me. As we are driving, we get about 20 minutes down the road and Dave lets out a gasp. Our stuff is flying on the highway off of our roof carrier. He pulls to the side of the road and begins walking down the side of the highway back towards our stuff… He finds a glove and a hat, and as he starts to walk further, he sees a car pulling back onto the highway after grabbing something off the side of the road. Sure enough, they stole our bag of all of our swimwear, goggles and suits. He’s standing right in front of them, they drive right past our vehicle and we are out 8 swimsuits, four pairs of goggles and a pack of swimmy diapers. Fast forward now another 40 minutes and the baby starts screaming. He has a blow out and we have to stop again to clean him up.
We finally arrive at our hotel around 7:00 that night. As we are unloading, a cup falls off the roof carrier and cracks. What makes this so frustrating is that my friend had loaned us her two mugs from Christmas town so we could get the $1.99 refills of hot cocoa… however the first cup was now broken and we soon discovered the other had flown off the roof with our other items. So now, we had to buy her two new mugs which was another $16 we were not anticipating spending.
We go up to the hotel and start calling around to see who might have swimwear. Ya’ll, it’s December, so no one has swim wear, which I knew but we were hopeful. Finally, we discover Target just put theirs out. Talk about eating humble pie. I am the first to criticize stores for putting out summer items in the dead of winter, and yet here we were taking full advantage of it. We go to Target and even with getting the boys shorts instead of swim suits, we are out another $140…. That we had not intended to spend. (it wasn’t until later that day that we realized we also lost all the goggles, which will cost us another $50 to replace, but that was not something we were willing to spend right now). We also stopped at Walmart to purchase swimmy diapers only to discover, they were not selling them this time of year. So we had to put the baby in Elias’s underwear and pray he wouldn’t take a dump in the pool.
We had planned to head out by 11 Saturday morning, but our first hiccup was that we did not have the bungee cords for our roof carrier, so Dave had to run out and get those. By the time we loaded and got on the road, it was after 1. However, we needed air in our tires and lunch for the kids so we shot down wards to Sheetz (free air)…. Mistake #1, Wards on the Saturday before Christmas. We pull up to sheetz and get stuck in a line of about 6 cars waiting for air. So we decide to go to Walmart first then come back. All went well at first, I shot through the store as fast as I could and then checked- out. I even found a $5 pizza half price. However, after the cashier rung me up, I noticed she charged me full price for the pizza. I rationalized arguing over $2.50, but I figured let me at least ask. She said, oh yes, I’m sorry, customer service can help you…. Again, I wondered if it was worth it, but I went over and got through the line in a couple minutes. All seemed well until this cashier was struggling to get the correct discounted price as well. He tried 3 times, then called the manager. At this point I’m kicking myself for even worrying about $2.50 and had it not been for feeling like I would have wasted his time, I would have just left. But I sat there… for a good 15 minutes. Oh well, it bought us a quest bar later.
We get air and get on the road by 3:00. I was frustrated by the delay but tried to not let it get to me. As we are driving, we get about 20 minutes down the road and Dave lets out a gasp. Our stuff is flying on the highway off of our roof carrier. He pulls to the side of the road and begins walking down the side of the highway back towards our stuff… He finds a glove and a hat, and as he starts to walk further, he sees a car pulling back onto the highway after grabbing something off the side of the road. Sure enough, they stole our bag of all of our swimwear, goggles and suits. He’s standing right in front of them, they drive right past our vehicle and we are out 8 swimsuits, four pairs of goggles and a pack of swimmy diapers. Fast forward now another 40 minutes and the baby starts screaming. He has a blow out and we have to stop again to clean him up.
We finally arrive at our hotel around 7:00 that night. As we are unloading, a cup falls off the roof carrier and cracks. What makes this so frustrating is that my friend had loaned us her two mugs from Christmas town so we could get the $1.99 refills of hot cocoa… however the first cup was now broken and we soon discovered the other had flown off the roof with our other items. So now, we had to buy her two new mugs which was another $16 we were not anticipating spending.
We go up to the hotel and start calling around to see who might have swimwear. Ya’ll, it’s December, so no one has swim wear, which I knew but we were hopeful. Finally, we discover Target just put theirs out. Talk about eating humble pie. I am the first to criticize stores for putting out summer items in the dead of winter, and yet here we were taking full advantage of it. We go to Target and even with getting the boys shorts instead of swim suits, we are out another $140…. That we had not intended to spend. (it wasn’t until later that day that we realized we also lost all the goggles, which will cost us another $50 to replace, but that was not something we were willing to spend right now). We also stopped at Walmart to purchase swimmy diapers only to discover, they were not selling them this time of year. So we had to put the baby in Elias’s underwear and pray he wouldn’t take a dump in the pool.
When we got to Christmas town, we discovered that our
tickets did not include parking… so for the two times we went, we dropped
another $30 just to park our car somewhere.
Fast forward to the evening when we are having our special dinner out. We budgeted about $50, but when we received the bill it was $76… and that was not including tip. Both our hearts sank. Generally kids drinks are included with their meals, however this was not the case with this particular restaurant. That coupled with Dave getting two entrees… well, there we had it. So we again tried to move on from the blow.
The weekend was full of so many little frustrations that seemed much bigger in the midst of all the others. I’m not gonna lie, while my amazing husband desperately tried to remain positive, I was sinking into a negative nancy mindset and struggling to pull myself out. I wanted to throw my hands up and scream, "God, we so desperately needed this break, You know this, why are we being bombarded with so many obstacles and frustrations?!" But one thing I have learned, over and over again, is that its through the supposed inconveniences that we grow and learn the most. Though God may not be the one causing them, He will absolutely use them if we let Him.
We managed to enjoy ourselves and have a blast for the remainder of our time, but the financial drain of everything was hanging over our heads.
Fast forward to the evening when we are having our special dinner out. We budgeted about $50, but when we received the bill it was $76… and that was not including tip. Both our hearts sank. Generally kids drinks are included with their meals, however this was not the case with this particular restaurant. That coupled with Dave getting two entrees… well, there we had it. So we again tried to move on from the blow.
The weekend was full of so many little frustrations that seemed much bigger in the midst of all the others. I’m not gonna lie, while my amazing husband desperately tried to remain positive, I was sinking into a negative nancy mindset and struggling to pull myself out. I wanted to throw my hands up and scream, "God, we so desperately needed this break, You know this, why are we being bombarded with so many obstacles and frustrations?!" But one thing I have learned, over and over again, is that its through the supposed inconveniences that we grow and learn the most. Though God may not be the one causing them, He will absolutely use them if we let Him.
We managed to enjoy ourselves and have a blast for the remainder of our time, but the financial drain of everything was hanging over our heads.
When we arrive home, my mom sends me a text asking if I had a package on my porch. Long story short, we did in fact receive a package Saturday, however, it was stolen right off our front porch that night. It was a gift from my aunt, and ya’ll I’m not gonna lie, at this point the tears just flowed. I was so frustrated and angry, and a big bottle of wine was sounding better and better by the minute. But, I took a shower, cooled off and went to bed looking forward to that quiet time in the morning that I knew would refresh my spirit.
Financial issues are stressful no matter
what your situation, but considering we will no longer have a second income as
of January, this whole situation stung that much more. One thing I have really
been trying to do after surrendering my job to the Lord, is remembering to ask
for His help, even in the simple things. The weather for our trip was looking
awful last week, so I prayed God would keep the rain off so we could enjoy our
time, and He did. I lost an envelope with $40 last week and as my mom started
praying, I found it. When I lost my phone on the trip, it took me 15 minutes of
losing my cool and coming to the brink of tears before I did, but I finally
prayed for God’s help and instantly found it.
Dave’s work had sent out a message a month ago saying everyone was getting bonuses and a tiny raise mid December. But then we were told we weren’t getting it, the new were told we might, then we were told we wouldn’t again… So I prayed. December 15th rolled around and God blessed us with the bonus. I thought it was to help us have some cushion since we would be losing my pay, so when all of these unexpected expenses came up this weekend, I was frustrated that it was being blown on junk we weren’t planning to buy. However, God tugged at my heart and reminded me that had we not had that money, we would have really been hurting this weekend. Because we had it, we were able to buy these things without it really sinking us financially. So though that cushion has been severely depleted, we are not in debt as a result, and that is a huge blessing in and of itself. God provided, and though I thought it was for one reason, He showed it was for another. Regardless, He provided. He cared enough to do that, even for stupid material things that aren’t a “need”.
Dave’s work had sent out a message a month ago saying everyone was getting bonuses and a tiny raise mid December. But then we were told we weren’t getting it, the new were told we might, then we were told we wouldn’t again… So I prayed. December 15th rolled around and God blessed us with the bonus. I thought it was to help us have some cushion since we would be losing my pay, so when all of these unexpected expenses came up this weekend, I was frustrated that it was being blown on junk we weren’t planning to buy. However, God tugged at my heart and reminded me that had we not had that money, we would have really been hurting this weekend. Because we had it, we were able to buy these things without it really sinking us financially. So though that cushion has been severely depleted, we are not in debt as a result, and that is a huge blessing in and of itself. God provided, and though I thought it was for one reason, He showed it was for another. Regardless, He provided. He cared enough to do that, even for stupid material things that aren’t a “need”.
I read a devotional this morning talking about the story of
the 10 lepers that Christ healed, and the fact that only one, the non-Jew, came
back praising and thanking Him. They called out to Him in their need, referred
to Him as Master and Lord, and when He blessed them, they forgot to thank Him
for His generosity and compassion. To quote the devotional:
“But in the mirror image, that’s just like us too. We call Him Lord and yet walk away after the miracle. He is so patient and so forgiving… God wants our gratitude. HE doesn’t need a pretty song or a polished service. He wants our repentance and will so he can retune our lives to His purity…Especially in times when we don’t get the answer we hope, we are to be grateful because He already knows our needs – His grace is sufficient.”
Gratitude. Even when things don’t go as I want or hope. He provides and answers prayer repeatedly, and I am just like the 9 other Jews who walked away from an incredible miracle. So I am choosing today to see His hand, His provision, His blessing and generosity. He is so good to me. He is so faithful, even when I act like a spoiled brat.
“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1
“But in the mirror image, that’s just like us too. We call Him Lord and yet walk away after the miracle. He is so patient and so forgiving… God wants our gratitude. HE doesn’t need a pretty song or a polished service. He wants our repentance and will so he can retune our lives to His purity…Especially in times when we don’t get the answer we hope, we are to be grateful because He already knows our needs – His grace is sufficient.”
Gratitude. Even when things don’t go as I want or hope. He provides and answers prayer repeatedly, and I am just like the 9 other Jews who walked away from an incredible miracle. So I am choosing today to see His hand, His provision, His blessing and generosity. He is so good to me. He is so faithful, even when I act like a spoiled brat.
“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1
