Have you recently told me that you would be praying for me? Then let me tell you what God did with your prayers because He's been busy!
1) My mower quit.
2) My dryer quit one week later
3) The repairman was crooked and left my landlord with one broken dryer and two payments for doing all the wrong things so he could cheat her out of extra service calls. Since she had to pay for two service calls, she went up on my rent to an amount I don't have in the budget.
4) I can't afford the rent but can't afford to rent a new place either.
5) My son called to tell me that after proposing a couple of weeks ago to the mother of his son, she dumped him and he's destroyed.
6) I had my brother-in-law to come work on my mower and instead, he broke it to the point it's no longer repairable.
From #1 to #6 has all happened over the course of a month. So, when I tell you that I'm in a down season of my life (prior post), I mean it! But I also knew that God would see to me and that it's a season that will pass. Therefore, let's start at trial #1 and I'll explain how things are going now and all within one month.
1) Because I had been lying to myself when I entered a debit amount into my checkbook (in other words, if I spent $53 I would write $60 in my checkbook and round up to the nearest 10), my actual account balance when I called the bank was at least $200 over what I had written in my checkbook. What a coincidence, since when I had to visit all of the pawn shops in my town to find myself a lawnmower the only used mower in the entire town was $200. Cha-chinnnnggg!
2) The dryer still isn't fixed but I'm being told that I'll just be getting a new one (remains to be seen but the real joy was in telling the landlord and getting that impending stress off my shoulders).
3 and 4) Instead of trying to talk to her about this higher rent and what I could afford, I figured it was best to just take her what I could and let the chips fall where they may. I did. I started counting off dollars and explaining that I could give her half the increase she asked because there's no possibility of giving her more than is in my budget. She simply smiled and said, "okay, that will be just fine." Cha-chinnnnggg!
5) Instead of my son's girlfriend packing up and moving on, she's staying with him for now and that gives him back his peace and joy. He has time to adjust to the separation and their son is not seeing any fighting.
6) Doesn't matter because I have a new mower now and the old one was on it's last leg anyway. It was only a matter of time before it quit completely.
BONUS: My landlord showed up this evening with an envelope. On the front it said, "I'm sorry" and inside was the amount of increase on the rent that I had given her yesterday. She said that she wasn't supposed to impose the increase yet and that I was paying it too early and that she felt it was wrong to keep it. So she returned it to me.
I hope that if you're going through something right now and if that something feels like your entire life is crumbling around you due to the trials that are coming on, trust the Lord and He's going to see you through. "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me.." When trials abound it can feel like death is approaching because we have to fight through the stress to get rest, to retain some appetite, to smile and find joy. It's truly a walk through a valley and death surely can feel as if it's overshadowing us (at least it does me), but God is with us, and remember that in that verse, it says, "...walk THROUGH the valley..." we are never meant to "...remain in the valley..." If you prayed for me, my gratitude is immeasurable. Thank you!!
1) My mower quit.
2) My dryer quit one week later
3) The repairman was crooked and left my landlord with one broken dryer and two payments for doing all the wrong things so he could cheat her out of extra service calls. Since she had to pay for two service calls, she went up on my rent to an amount I don't have in the budget.
4) I can't afford the rent but can't afford to rent a new place either.
5) My son called to tell me that after proposing a couple of weeks ago to the mother of his son, she dumped him and he's destroyed.
6) I had my brother-in-law to come work on my mower and instead, he broke it to the point it's no longer repairable.
From #1 to #6 has all happened over the course of a month. So, when I tell you that I'm in a down season of my life (prior post), I mean it! But I also knew that God would see to me and that it's a season that will pass. Therefore, let's start at trial #1 and I'll explain how things are going now and all within one month.
1) Because I had been lying to myself when I entered a debit amount into my checkbook (in other words, if I spent $53 I would write $60 in my checkbook and round up to the nearest 10), my actual account balance when I called the bank was at least $200 over what I had written in my checkbook. What a coincidence, since when I had to visit all of the pawn shops in my town to find myself a lawnmower the only used mower in the entire town was $200. Cha-chinnnnggg!
2) The dryer still isn't fixed but I'm being told that I'll just be getting a new one (remains to be seen but the real joy was in telling the landlord and getting that impending stress off my shoulders).
3 and 4) Instead of trying to talk to her about this higher rent and what I could afford, I figured it was best to just take her what I could and let the chips fall where they may. I did. I started counting off dollars and explaining that I could give her half the increase she asked because there's no possibility of giving her more than is in my budget. She simply smiled and said, "okay, that will be just fine." Cha-chinnnnggg!
5) Instead of my son's girlfriend packing up and moving on, she's staying with him for now and that gives him back his peace and joy. He has time to adjust to the separation and their son is not seeing any fighting.
6) Doesn't matter because I have a new mower now and the old one was on it's last leg anyway. It was only a matter of time before it quit completely.
BONUS: My landlord showed up this evening with an envelope. On the front it said, "I'm sorry" and inside was the amount of increase on the rent that I had given her yesterday. She said that she wasn't supposed to impose the increase yet and that I was paying it too early and that she felt it was wrong to keep it. So she returned it to me.
I hope that if you're going through something right now and if that something feels like your entire life is crumbling around you due to the trials that are coming on, trust the Lord and He's going to see you through. "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me.." When trials abound it can feel like death is approaching because we have to fight through the stress to get rest, to retain some appetite, to smile and find joy. It's truly a walk through a valley and death surely can feel as if it's overshadowing us (at least it does me), but God is with us, and remember that in that verse, it says, "...walk THROUGH the valley..." we are never meant to "...remain in the valley..." If you prayed for me, my gratitude is immeasurable. Thank you!!
