Life's Little Blessings

Usually I am the Queen of Budgeting my money. I am very obsessive about being organized and planning for everything, but sometimes the best plans can get blown away by life's little unexpected issues. Like the fact that my car tag was due and my homeowner's association dues all came up at the same time. Being on a single income doesn't give much wiggle room, so needless to say I was going to come up very short (like non-existent short). I wasn't even sure that I would be able to tithe, which I really struggled with. I knew I had bills that I owed, so I had an obligation to pay those back. I finally decided that it was more important to give God back just the little that He requires of what He gives me. For a control freak, this was a little scary to me because I was really going out on faith considering it would absolutely take all of my money. I do not like to borrow money from my parents AT ALL (even though they would help me in a heartbeat). So I was just hoping I could make it 2 weeks without needing extra gas or food :)
Like I said, I am a control freak. I don't like surprises. I need a plan. A checklist. An in case of an emergency plan. But I was determined to try to let go of that and have faith that God would provide. That wasn't easy- let me tell you. But God did something wonderful to show me just how big He is compared to my worry and finances.
My mom called me at work yesterday afternoon and told me I had gotten a check in the mail from the hospital. As all of you know, it has been about 4 months since I got all those tests run. I paid my copayments at the time and didn't really think anything about it because I really wasn't out a ton of money with them (maybe $100). I asked my mom to open it because I could not imagine what it would be for, and it was a $70 refund check. Didn't say what for, just said "refund". To make one of my typical LONG stories short, it may not have been a ton of money but it is exactly enough for gas and some things that we typically run out of every week like milk or juice. There was NO doubt in my mind that God has showed me that He WAS taking care of me and that by choosing to put Him first, He was being faithful to me. Boy, was I humbled. And thankful!! I have always heard really cool stories about God providing in mysterious ways like that, but never experienced it myself. It is something that I will never forget.


***On a lighter note, my son's "Week of Nightmarish Behavior" 2 weeks ago (and let me tell ya, I can't emphasize NIGHTMARISH enough) has turned into 2 weeks of the best behaved, most kind little boy. So my having to punish him practically every day during that time has really paid off. It is nice to see that you didn't do time-outs and early bedtimes for nothing! :)