And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Luke 12:29-31).
Yesterday I went to post a parcel to Son#2. I'd already paid $3.70 for the post bag after deciding not to pay $16.40 for the courier bag which included postage because I reasoned that postage would only be a few dollars.
I was wrong. The postage came to over $12 because of the size of the parcel and because it was going inter-island. How can it be that I sent a box weighing 10kg to Son#2 and it cost me $30 but a parcel weighing one tenth that costs over $12? It doesn't really make sense.
The person who served me must have sensed my dismay because he suggested that we re-shape the parcel to make it smaller. He folded over the top and the sides and secured them with tape. The parcel became smaller and the cost of postage went down $5. God had answered the quick prayer I'd sent up before entering the shop.
A few weeks ago when I went to post the box to Son#2 I had driven up and down the same street again and again looking for the name of the couriers he had given me. I couldn't find them anywhere. Eventually I went home and looked them up in the phone book. I had the right address but they weren't at that address - in fact nothing was at that address.
I looked at the next address on the list Son#2 had left behind and discovered they weren't in our town. Oh great! Frustrated I went to the one closest to my work (after praying that it wouldn't cost too much to send the box) but when I couldn't find a parking spot kept on driving in the hope that I'd find another courier service. I finally did and to my surprise their price was at least $10 less than the other couriers. I sent the parcel with them.
God really does care about our needs. And He provides. Years ago when we were living on one wage we gave up working out an annual financial budget. Each time we did we discovered that our income fell way short of our expenses (and I'm talking just the essentials like food and housing and electricity) yet we never went without. God always provided. Sometimes it was because DH was able to do overtime at work, sometimes it was through the generous gifts of others (like the cousin who was always giving me like-brand-new hand-me-down clothes), sometimes it was through a bonus from work or a tax cheque, sometimes we couldn't even explain it. But we never went without and each year we managed to balance the books.
It's certainly not an approach that an accountant or financial advisor would recommend - and I wouldn't normally recommend doing away with a budget either. I think a budget can be a good thing. But I've also learnt that when we place the bank books in God's Hands He never lets us down.
Yesterday I went to post a parcel to Son#2. I'd already paid $3.70 for the post bag after deciding not to pay $16.40 for the courier bag which included postage because I reasoned that postage would only be a few dollars.
I was wrong. The postage came to over $12 because of the size of the parcel and because it was going inter-island. How can it be that I sent a box weighing 10kg to Son#2 and it cost me $30 but a parcel weighing one tenth that costs over $12? It doesn't really make sense.
The person who served me must have sensed my dismay because he suggested that we re-shape the parcel to make it smaller. He folded over the top and the sides and secured them with tape. The parcel became smaller and the cost of postage went down $5. God had answered the quick prayer I'd sent up before entering the shop.
A few weeks ago when I went to post the box to Son#2 I had driven up and down the same street again and again looking for the name of the couriers he had given me. I couldn't find them anywhere. Eventually I went home and looked them up in the phone book. I had the right address but they weren't at that address - in fact nothing was at that address.
I looked at the next address on the list Son#2 had left behind and discovered they weren't in our town. Oh great! Frustrated I went to the one closest to my work (after praying that it wouldn't cost too much to send the box) but when I couldn't find a parking spot kept on driving in the hope that I'd find another courier service. I finally did and to my surprise their price was at least $10 less than the other couriers. I sent the parcel with them.
God really does care about our needs. And He provides. Years ago when we were living on one wage we gave up working out an annual financial budget. Each time we did we discovered that our income fell way short of our expenses (and I'm talking just the essentials like food and housing and electricity) yet we never went without. God always provided. Sometimes it was because DH was able to do overtime at work, sometimes it was through the generous gifts of others (like the cousin who was always giving me like-brand-new hand-me-down clothes), sometimes it was through a bonus from work or a tax cheque, sometimes we couldn't even explain it. But we never went without and each year we managed to balance the books.
It's certainly not an approach that an accountant or financial advisor would recommend - and I wouldn't normally recommend doing away with a budget either. I think a budget can be a good thing. But I've also learnt that when we place the bank books in God's Hands He never lets us down.
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I have a song that I love to play and it starts out: "Your eye is on the sparrow and Your Hand it comforts me". Isn't that beautiful?