Meeting Our Needs One Member at a Time

This week has been a tough one. Starting school, driving the kids to and fro (and driving a bunch of kids who aren't my biological kids, but are still MY kids, to and fro), sporting events, practices, hair cuts, new lunchboxes and shoes...it's always something.

Here are some God Sightings from my week:

We aren't exactly rolling in money. I know, I know, it's shocking, but The Husband is in full-time ministry, and while the church is INCREDIBLY generous, it's still only one salary and seven people (you can do the math). Mother's income is eaten immediately by her needs (usually with some thrown in from our pot). I work to pay for the kids' tuition and insurance, so I end up flush (not complaining--my job is a blessing from the Lord and an answer to a zillion prayers). Anyway, this week The Boys needed cleats for football and a little gas money. I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for that exactly, but just went ahead and did it anyway, trusting that God always meets my need--past, present, and future. On Thursday afternoon I handed them every dime I had and said a little prayer.



The Fashionista Going Hard



Seemingly Unrelated Topic: Thursday night I had no idea how I was going to get home, feed the two littlest shorties, and get to the volleyball game in Marion on time. No idea. On paper it was completely impossible. I left the school at 3:00, the game was at 4:00, we live 1 1/2 hours from the game site, and I still had to get home and change and feed the kids. I rushed home, threw clothes on, and came back through wondering how I was going to pay for dinner since I gave away our fun money to Cleats and Gas only to find a Boston butt and grilled hamburgers (still smoking hot from the grill) from a church member on my counter. Praise God!

Naynuh waiting for the play.

We hauled out to the game like we were tied to a rocket only to find out that the games were a little delayed in starting, which might have been irritating to some of you, but it was really answered prayer for me. (Sorry about that, everyone.) They didn't have a ticket fee because it was only a practice game (Praise God yet again!) So, we didn't miss a single second of E-squared tearing it up on the court. If not for that man who brought the food or the delay in starting time or the free entrance, we would have been in a jam. God used all of those circumstances to meet my needs. Amazing!

Will you PLEASE stop taking my photo, Mother?

I know that you think I've lost my train of thought here, but just hold on, I'm getting to the point: We run about three or four loads of laundry every single day. Between sports, PE, school clothes, church clothes, baths, etc., it's just a minimum. There is no such thing as "laundry day" around here. Every day is laundry day. We have a hand-me-down washer and dryer set. A local family was moving into a new home and wanted new appliances and offered us their old ones. Since the ones we were using at the time were 17-years-old and had been repaired multiple times, we eagerly accepted. Well, now that set is 15-years-old and has starting having some issues. The dryer has to run two, full 60-minute cycles to dry the clothing. So, laundry takes literally all day with everyone checking and moving the clothing around.

I know this LOOKS like a washer and dryer,
but really it's the provision of God Almighty!

Friday, after this incredibly tiring and financially draining week, I came into the house to see a brand new, energy efficient, high-capacity washer and dryer already installed in my cleaned-up laundry room. I almost burst into tears. If I had one wish, one need in my house, it would have been a new washer and dryer. I can't tell you what that moment was like exactly. To know that my Heavenly Father used the feet and hands and checking account of faithful servants to provide directly for MY needs and the need of my family...well, it's just a little overwhelming. Praise God and His Servants!

The Point: It occurred to me that I have in the past been That Person to other people. And now I'm asking you...have you ever been That Person for someone else? If not, you ought to try it sometime. I can tell you from the giving end and from the receiving end that both are rewarding beyond anything you can possibly imagine. And God tells us to give it a go--if we tithe and give and pray and listen, He will pour out a blessing on us that we can't contain. He'll meet our needs and meet the needs of others through our faithfulness. Try Him, and see if it is true. I dare you.

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.