Today, for some odd reason, I began to ponder how low my bank account was! It was months ago that I turned down unemployment benefits to show forgiveness to my past employer. http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/unemployed-mother-turns-down-needed-to.htmlhttp://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/unemployed-mother-turns-down-needed-to.html Yet, until today, I hadn't felt so broke. However, it didn't take long before the Lord corrected my wandering thoughts.
First, as God would have it, I drove passed a homeless family of four. Seeing the children sitting on the sidewalk next to their father who was holding a sign that said, "Need Help," reminded me of the scripture I had read earlier. I was to have humble faith. So, I promised myself that if this family was still in front of McDonald's when I return to our town, I would stop and offer them a bible and prayer.
Next, I went to pick up my computer. The young man who fixed the computer, loaded several extras, even a DVD burner, just because. And, he only charged me $20.00. Wow!
Then, on the way home, I saw the same family. So, I stopped and offered them the bibles. We started talking for awhile. I discovered that the youngest was celebrating his birthday tomorrow. He was born on Sept 11. When I asked his name, he said, "It's Phil, but I go by Joseph." I told him the story of Mary, Jesus and Joseph.
After, I learned that his older brother's birthday was the following day. I wanted desperately to offer the parents a few dollars to buy birthday presents. But, I had no money to offer. I felt comfortable sharing my story of hope, so I leaned in and started to recall the events that led me to surrender to God. While I spoke with the mother directly, I noticed that her two children had invited my son to play with their Lego's. Her two boys even offered son a present. A heaviness began to spread across my chest. I could barely stand the pressure. If only, I had a few dollars to offer them.
Later, my husband returned home. He was home for the weekend. When he walked through the door, we exchanged a warm greeting. Then he extended his hand. He said, "Pick one." In his hand were two lottery tickets. I smiled and said, "Oh honey, I don't gamble any more." But he insisted, "Please, I bought this one for you!" I watched as he scratched his ticket. Nothing! ,
Next, it was my turn. I began to scratch my "winning numbers," the numbers you need to match "your numbers" to. When I was finished, I scratched my first number. WINNER! I looked across the counter where my husband stood. We met eyes, and we both smiled. I scratched the next number, WINNER! And, the next, WINNER! The entire card was filled with winning numbers. I won $18.00, enough to buy a cake, frosting, a card and still have a few dollars for a gift. I said, "Our God is AMAZING! I can't wait to offer a cake and gift to these boys on their birthday." We immediately raced off to the local grocery store and bought the ingredients. I had completely forgotten about my money problems!
First, as God would have it, I drove passed a homeless family of four. Seeing the children sitting on the sidewalk next to their father who was holding a sign that said, "Need Help," reminded me of the scripture I had read earlier. I was to have humble faith. So, I promised myself that if this family was still in front of McDonald's when I return to our town, I would stop and offer them a bible and prayer.
Next, I went to pick up my computer. The young man who fixed the computer, loaded several extras, even a DVD burner, just because. And, he only charged me $20.00. Wow!
Then, on the way home, I saw the same family. So, I stopped and offered them the bibles. We started talking for awhile. I discovered that the youngest was celebrating his birthday tomorrow. He was born on Sept 11. When I asked his name, he said, "It's Phil, but I go by Joseph." I told him the story of Mary, Jesus and Joseph.
After, I learned that his older brother's birthday was the following day. I wanted desperately to offer the parents a few dollars to buy birthday presents. But, I had no money to offer. I felt comfortable sharing my story of hope, so I leaned in and started to recall the events that led me to surrender to God. While I spoke with the mother directly, I noticed that her two children had invited my son to play with their Lego's. Her two boys even offered son a present. A heaviness began to spread across my chest. I could barely stand the pressure. If only, I had a few dollars to offer them.
Later, my husband returned home. He was home for the weekend. When he walked through the door, we exchanged a warm greeting. Then he extended his hand. He said, "Pick one." In his hand were two lottery tickets. I smiled and said, "Oh honey, I don't gamble any more." But he insisted, "Please, I bought this one for you!" I watched as he scratched his ticket. Nothing! ,
Next, it was my turn. I began to scratch my "winning numbers," the numbers you need to match "your numbers" to. When I was finished, I scratched my first number. WINNER! I looked across the counter where my husband stood. We met eyes, and we both smiled. I scratched the next number, WINNER! And, the next, WINNER! The entire card was filled with winning numbers. I won $18.00, enough to buy a cake, frosting, a card and still have a few dollars for a gift. I said, "Our God is AMAZING! I can't wait to offer a cake and gift to these boys on their birthday." We immediately raced off to the local grocery store and bought the ingredients. I had completely forgotten about my money problems!
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