Waste Mangagement

Not more than a few weeks ago I was sitting at a stoplight on one of the local streets.  While waiting for the light to turn green, I looked over at the vehicle beside me.  It was a  Penn Waste garbage truck.


Almost instantly my mind began to consider the volume of trash that these vehicles cart away from our home on a regular basis.  I have often anticipated the truck's arrival, especially when some extremely foul-smelling waste is stinking up our garage where the trash is kept.  What a joy it is to have the offensive collection hauled off to a place where I can forget about it!

While musing this over, something about the truck caught my eye.  The tires.  Though massive in size, they were noticeably flattened no doubt due to the weight of what had been loaded above.

What a picture of Jesus! He deflated Himself and took on the weight of everything stinky about me.  As if that weren't enough, He regularly hauls away my waste so that I can forget about it and move on.

Making Do

This morning I was cleaning out my microwave.

In the middle of cleaning, I found myself thanking God for this appliance.  You see, for about two years we had a microwave with no turntable and no door handle.  The turntable had broken accidentally and the handle had come off due to normal wear and tear.  We had learned to place our fingertips under the door just so in order to open it up.  It became second nature to us and we made do.

Eventually I decided to look on Craigslist for a microwave to replace ours.  A similar model was listed with the dimensions needed for above our range.  I communicated with the seller and he said that he would sell it to me $15 below the list price!  That microwave is the very one that graces our kitchen today.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." 1 Timothy 6:6-9

God taught our family to be content with the two-bit microwave that we had.  Sure a door would be handy, but it wasn't necessary.  Our family did not go hungry due to lack of a microwave door.  We made do.  Then when the timing was right, we purchased a USED microwave.

Contentment. This is where financial freedom begins.

Laugh of the Day

Pulling into the parking lot of my bank this morning I saw a woman in a candy apple red convertible pull into a parking spot a short distance from me.

As I exited my van I had to chuckle upon hearing the distinctive electronic sound of her locking up her car.

Classic!

Step Away from the Baby!

Earlier this week we were babysitting a friend's son for a couple of hours.  After following his daily routine, we came to the hour when he was due for a nap.

First my husband held him for a while but he cried. Next we put him in our son's swing, but he continued to cry.  My husband had to get ready to leave the house and handed the baby over to me.  He told me about a way to hold him that had gotten him to sleep last time we watched him.  I tried this suggested hold but the little guy cried on.

Then I realized the time.  With my stomach growling I knew that I needed to eat lunch or I would be crying alongside the baby!  I laid him down on a sleeping bag in our living room as he continued to protest. "I'll be right back" I told him and stepped away into the kitchen to make a sandwich.

While mulling over what toppings to add to the meat, I suddenly thought 'The crying has stopped.'  I went around the corner into the living to find the scene below.

The whole time I knew that what he needed was rest.  But I didn't know how to get him to do what he needed to do.  What I recognized after seeing him fall asleep on his own was that what needed to happen would eventually happen if I just let it happen on its own.

This reminds me of how God works in my life.  I have a problem and try everything within my power to solve the problem.  God lets me do this.  It doesn't work.  I get so worn out that I have no choice but to do nothing.  Then God handles business as usual.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

When I am trying to do things in my own power, I hope to remember to step away from my baby so that I can have Christ's power.

Money Mayhem

So yesterday was a finance day meaning that Ross was working on balancing the checkbook from previous transactions.  Often during this process he will come to me with inquiries about past expenditures that have long since left my brain.  With my "mommy brain" it is often difficult for me to remember what I did a couple days ago.  Trying to retrace financial steps from weeks past takes some major mental muscle.

In the process of his inquiries, I began to get frustrated because he asked me the same question about three different times, in three different ways.  Looking back now I realize that he was reflecting on the question himself as he was asking (almost like in his head), but at the time I was truly annoyed.

"Okay," I said in a barely restrained voice between my teeth, "you've said it three times now and I can't take hearing it again.  I will look into it and get back to you."

He looked at me-hard.  Then his look got softer and he said, "Okay, I got it."

I took some time and found what he needed.  Later on he asked me, "Do you know that you paid the mortgage twice?"  Ugh!  I had forgotten that we paid it before we left for vacation so we wouldn't forget to pay it when we got back.  I paid it a second time the day after we returned with the other monthly bills.  How small I felt for being impatient and angry with him earlier.

"It's okay," he consoled me, "We have an extra paycheck in the bank and it will be covered.  Having the extra money in there allows us to do things like that."

Whew!  I felt relief.  As frustrating as these money issues were I am so thankful for:

1) A loving, forgiving husband
2) God blessing us to have an extra month of pay in the bank
3) Humility

His grace is sufficient.

Reminder

Yesterday at church a young woman named Heather shared with our congregation about a blog  (Souled Out) that she had started.  She simply stated that she had a passion for writing and wanted a forum through which to exercise that passion.  Her blog provided that forum and she had stepped out on faith to begin writing as well as to share with us about her writing.

I had the opportunity to speak with her after service to let her know that I would be following her blog.  In listening to her excitement, my own passion for writing has been rekindled.  With the recent birth of our son, I had pushed writing way down on my priority list.  It has become a luxury rather than a leisure.  But I truly sense God reminding me through Heather's testimony of the work that He has for me to do through my writing.  The words that I pen are not only for me, they are for His people...and maybe even more importantly for people who are not yet His own.

So, today I write and thank God for the reminder to do so.