Spending: Day 14

Let me start this post off by saying...MY HUSBAND IS A DIRTY ROTTEN CHEATER!

Yes that man is a liar liar pants on fire and a no good cheater cheater pumpkin eater.

HE WENT TO RED BOX!
AND RENTED 4 (count 'em 4!) REX BOX MOVIES!
I am so ashamed. When he came in the house and I saw those accursed square cases in his hands my jaw dropped. I about fell over. If you recall reading my first post for this month, I had discussed with my darling husband that Red Box was off limits no matter what excuse he tried to pull out of the air. Apparently "he forgot." Yeah, okay dear. Whatever you say. He still insisted that Red Box should be an approved purchase since it's on the premises of ShopRite. We all know he's blowing smoke right? My husband is a fantastic smoke blower. Oy vey. I love that man, but he drives me nuts! He did apologize and take them back (after watching 2/4 movies mind you) but all's well that ends well. $4 of unapproved money, down the drain.

Anyway, other than that we're doing alright. We used our 1 family activity allotment to get haircuts. WOO! FUN! Richie insisted that we all looked like animals that needed their fur trimmed so off we went. We do look pretty fabulous, but I don't know that sitting in Holiday Hair for an hour counts as quality family time. Whatever. The money's gone and now we have no reason to cave and give Red Lobster our "family activity" money. Sigh.

I'm actually surprised at how much I DON'T miss going out to eat. I mean I do, and I missed the convenience of it in the beginning of this month. Now I'm at the point where I am used to the idea of cooking for every meal no matter how much I rather order a pizza. When you have no other choice, you get used to it. It probably helps that we're starting to seriously watch our diets and our waistlines, but more on that in later months ;)


The biggest bonus so far? I'm starting to see a sure and steady rise in our bank accounts. We've already paid off all our bills for the month and the last two paychecks in January will be all ours. I could get used to that. We haven't spent a single dime that we didn't account for in our budget and it's actually been pretty easy. I think we're seriously getting used to training our brains to ask how necessary a purchase is before we actually purchase it. I've said no to quite a few things this month already...not just food but also to SUPER cute outfits for the kids (that they didn't need) and I've had to say no to quite a few books and movies that I REALLY wanted. Richie almost said no to movies. Almost.

He'll never survive in media month.

I've also noticed how much more secure I feel in God's promises. Another added bonus! I've been trying hard to listen to God throughout this whole process, as this is truly an effort to get rid of the "noise" in our lives in order to hear that still, small voice. I feel like verses such as Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" ring truer now than ever before. All my needs met by God? Sounds good to me! And words are important, notice the verse says ALL and not some or most. All. Every single one. So if I feel that I am lacking something, or something isn't being taken care of, does that mean God failed to provide for all my needs? Or does that mean I really do have everything I need, and just want more? I'm thinking "God failed" is an oxymoron, thus I'm betting the real answer lies in my dissatisfaction. A heart issue, not an issue of need.

Let's also take a moment and examine Acts 20:35. "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Hmm. I know most people quote that it is better to give than to recieve often enough. I think we all know that. It's such a wonderful feeling to watch someone's face light up when you give them a gift that they never expected, or even if they did expect it, to feel and see their thankfulness anyway. It's really a gift by itself. But what about the first half of that verse. Support the weak. Three simple words. Support the weak. Support is defined as "Bear all or part of the weight of; hold up." Weak has many definitions, two of them being "Likely to fail under pressure, stress, or strain; lacking resistance" and "Lacking physical strength, energy, or vigor." Ok so it's simple isn't it? We are to bear all or some of the physical/spiritual weight of an individual who is likley to fail under the pressure of his or her burden because of their lack of energy and strength. I guess maybe that's easier said than done.

Let's face it, people are messy. Relationships with people are hard. Especially with those people who are so very different than us. Live a different way than we do. It's chaotic, frustrating, and sometimes downright uncomfortable. Who wants to deal with people who are weird, sometimes belligerent and ungrateful,  and sometimes even lacking the simplest means of personal hygiene. Let's be honest here, those are usually the weakest among us correct? I've met a few people like that through the years. You probably have too. They are weak for a reason, not just physically, but spiritually beat down and mentally trashed. They have nothing to give. And yet we who have so much, why do we care so little? It's not just about giving them the five dollars in your pocket. It's a nice gesture, but what about tomorrow? Tomorrow they'll still be in the same predicament. The only difference is, you'll no longer be there.

And why shouldn't you be? I'm honestly not trying to guilt anyone, and I know we can't save the world. But we can do SOMETHING. Save the life of someone. The only difference between the weak and the strong is that the strong almost always have a support system. Whether it be the Lord, generous and loving family, selfless friends...maybe you have all three of those things. And that's wonderful! You ought to be so grateful for those things! But why not give it back? Why not be someone else's support system? Are not those people God's children too? Does God love you more than those people? If we were to really love the way Christ loves, we would see the weak through His eyes. He would give His life for that person over and over again. This angry, ungrateful, weird person. He would die for them. Just like He did for you. We are no different in God's eyes. Maybe God gave us everything so that we could give them something. Maybe He knew that Johnny Hobo would squander His savings with drugs and alcohol so instead of giving Johnny Hobo more money that he desperately needs, He gave it to you instead. Maybe He wants YOU to step up and help Johnny Hobo get back on track, by having you give a little bit of those blessings back. He can't give them to Johnny directly, he'll just waste them. Can God trust it with you? Or will you waste it too? He gave you more so that you would have all you need and then some. Maybe it's that last part we're supposed to pass along.

Think about it a moment. What would the members of the early church think if they were suddenly transported to our time? What would they think if they walked into our homes, saw our cabinets overflowing with food (there's never anything to eat around here!), saw our empty bedrooms converted into computer rooms and workout areas (this house is so small, there's no room for anything!), saw our closets and dressers and drawers fit to bursting with clothing (I never have anything to wear!) What would they think? What would they think if they saw all the suffering in the world, the poor and starving children, the cold and sickly elderly, the suffering of the young with so much of their life left to live...and then realized how many Christians live above and beyond their means? Did you know Christians outmber all the orphans on the ENTIRE PLANET 2:1? Remind me why there are any orphans left in this world? If only half stepped up and took in one...just one...

I don't think they would understand. I think any of our excuses would fall short. Yeah we're living in a horrible economy. Yeah the cost of living is way up. Yeah I have a family of my own to provide for. Yeah I own a house with a pool. Yeah we have a car for each family member. Yeah I have enough clothing that I could wear a different outfit every day for an entire month or two. Yeah I have more food in my pantry than I know what to do with. So what? What's your point?

Point is, we all can do something. We can't do everything, only God can truly heal the broken hearted and provide for the desolate and despairing. We don't have to be God, we can just be us. I think God would be ok with that. We can do what we can. We don't have to fly to Africa and bring home ten children and we don't have to give our life savings to Johnny Hobo. We just have to do something. Give your neighbor a ride to the store, buy that struggling church member a new outfit, help a poor kid buy some school supples. Anything. And support your missionary familys! They are truly making a difference in this world, bringing light where there is only darkness. That has Jesus written all over it!

We don't have to do it all. We just have to support the weak, and love like Jesus loves. Not too much to ask, is it? I know I'm not perfect at it, not even close. You're probably in the same boat as me. Just think about it. Everything we own belongs to God, and so everything we spend money on is a reflection of our God. Just think about it, and do something with it. We are ALL God's children...every.single.one. of us. I think if we remembered that, we'd be okay.