God Won’t Leave Bags of Money on Your Doorstep…

        My husband is a government employee, and I am a stay at home mom of infant twins. So we exist on one salary. Our twins were born at the end of December, 2012, and we quickly amassed a large amount of debt including two new car payments (due to the twins and one car breaking down completely) and two cesarean section birth hospital bills.

Within six months our five year old central air conditioner stopped working. After inspection it was determined that the whole unit had to be replaced, as well as the electrical powering it, plus copper pipes had to be ran through the house!! Needless to say, our budget had been officially blown with all of these new expenses plus the cost of raising twins.

So fast forward a few more months and we find ourselves in the middle of a government furlough, hoping to avoid a total shutdown. We were faced with my husband losing a little more than a week’s pay; which is big for us, since it is our only income. After the furlough ended we were relieved. Then, just recently, the entire government was shut down, and my husband was yet again off work for another week. On top of all of our newfound expenses, we were now two full paychecks short of our normal cash flow. Even after my husband was sent back to work, he had no idea when a paycheck would come.

At first I began to get worried; but then I began to pray. I began to regularly ask God to provide for us financially. Nothing happened suddenly. We didn’t hit the lottery and Publishers Clearing House didn’t show up on our doorstep. No, I was forced gently encouraged to practice patience and penny pinching. Thankfully, I know that God always comes through. Though it may not be at the speed I would like, nor look like what I would have hoped.

Habakkuk 2:3 (CEV) can be very encouraging:

At the time I have decided,
my words will come true.
You can trust what I say
about the future.
It may take a long time,
but keep on waiting—
it will happen!

See, I have discovered that God will probably not leave bags of money on my doorstep or under my pillow. However, I know that the same God who provided sustenance day by day to the Israelites (Exodus 16) is the same God who will provide for my family day by day.

This last furlough, my friend brought us fruits and vegetables from her family’s farm; they lasted us two weeks. Our neighbor and friend gave us a much needed pack-n-play for free. We received our electric bill and were shocked to see it was $0, in fact we had a credit! Tuesday, I was given the opportunity to gather tons of free clothes for my children and even some for me; winter clothes that we all needed.

Last Thursday, my husband was offered a job promotion at work, which he accepted this past Monday! (This we had been praying for over a very long time). We also found out that my husband will receive back pay for this most recent week of work he lost. So we sort of received a paid week off! Oh, and I also managed to get $165 credit back from the pharmacy for a medication I needed. And last but not least, we had a sweet friend offer to babysit our twins for free so my husband and I can go on a date.

        So no tidal wave of cash or chest full of treasure for us. Instead, God chose to show His heart of mercy and love through human flesh. He used people in our lives to bless us abundantly. It can be hard to wait and have faith that God will work on your behalf. But hold on to His word; Hebrews 13:8 assures us that God is the same today as He was when Romans 8:28 was written, promising that He will always work things for our good (however that may look.)

Remember to slow down and enjoy the fruits of your labor and love on a daily basis and you will start to see life as a Mama on the Bright Side.