I have been thinking about life on the edge today. For many years of our marriage (almost twenty) I have not been overly concerned about finances. We had a very loose budget. Sure there were some times when things were tight, but God always provided for our needs.
God continues to provide for our needs. We now are at a situation in our lives when money is extremely tight. We are now on a strict budget. God had been changing my heart tremendously in the area of our finances. I now actually desire to be on a budget and to be like Jesus said in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) - to be that faithful steward of the money He has given us. Throughout our marriage we have done reasonably well with this, but I also know that there are some areas that I need to improve.
We have had to cut back and have no purchasing of "extras". I even have tried to cut back on our grocery bill as much as I possibly can. Our vacation food will consist of odds and ends that I can scrounge out of the cupboard, as well as a few extras that I purchase at the grocery store before we leave.
So what is "life on the edge"? Lately it is living paycheck to paycheck and not always knowing if we will have enough money to pay the bills for the month. It is faithfully tithing even when we don't know if we will have enough money to pay our bills. It is stepping out in faith to go on a trip that will be a little costly. We feel that God is calling us to Florida to check out a potential college for our son to attend in a little over a year. We have part of our stay covered through a time share that was given us. We will have the expense of three nights we are staying at the college, as well as the gas for the trip. We have one day left on a Disney pass that is supposed to still be good. The rest of the time will be spent doing free things, or just hanging out as a family. We plan to take along games to play together. We do not plan to eat out at all while we are gone - can't afford to. We do have a $20 gift card to Chick Fil A that we might use. We will get to see the Fort Walton Beach area where my husband spent several years as a kid.
Life on the edge is a scary position to be in. Part of me wants to question God of why things are so rough now that my heart is finally changed and desiring to do what is right. I do find though that I am in prayer much more often and am really trying to give it to Him and not to worry. I sure would appreciate your prayers. I guess sometimes it takes us being on the edge to take that leap of faith and trust that God is going to catch us.
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7 comments:
Hey! First, I will pray for you and your family. God is good, and He WILL keep providing! Look what He's given you already, in this trip you're taking to Florida! I was going to suggest some things for you to do: A picnic is always fun, especially while vacationing! Check out the area you'll be staying in; you can always find a park nearby, and what about a local town "square"? Those are usually rich with history! Also, I don't know if you're a AAA member, but my brother told me that you can get discounts for different places if you are. You can also check out the history of the area you'll be in. You'll probably find something very interesting and worth looking at! I know it's hard. I'll pray that God will guide you in this trip. Be safe and God bless!
He will totally provide! Check out some of our pastors messages on finances, they are really good. The latest was called How to BE rich. It's not what you'd expect. www.lifechurch.tv
I'll be praying!
Thanks ladies! :) I appreciate the prayers.
We are in the ministry and it's paycheck to paycheck for us too. Financial dependency has been a huge part of our faith journey as well. When we get discouraged about money matters we repeat our motto to ourselves... "Our reward is in Heaven!" God is Good! Many blessings to you this day.
Hi!
One of my favorite quotes by one of my favorite authors is..."You are most fully alive when you are on an adventure with God." (Erwin McManus) You are most certainly on a financial adventure with God. Trust Him. You and I both know that He can be trusted. Not that He needs to prove Himself faithful, but in His grace, He always does.
I haven't heard from you in awhile and wanted to stop by and see how you are doing. Take care!
Lisa :)
Just found you from Natalie's blog. We homeschool too...and I completely identify with what you are saying...however, our situation is a bit opposite. When we had Many Meadows at home, we hardly vacationed, and if we did, we camped and never ate out. Now there are only two left at home. It's much easier to eat out now, but we still rarely do it. Our budget isn't nearly as tight, but we still are on one!
Hang in there...hope you have a wonderful vacation. I'll be praying for you!
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