Trust God
Early in our marriage, we were drowning in debt. Have you ever felt the pains of more month than money? That’s where we lived.
My husband and I were faithful in our tithe, in our service to our church and yet it was rewarded with silence. It felt like no one cared, not even God. Feeling unseen was a continued feeling throughout my life and this situation just added weight to the already heavy load.
I decided that if God wasn’t going to come through for us I was going to take matters into my own hands. Are there any other control freaks reading this? Anyway, I was working full-time with a newborn who had many health challenges so my time and emotions were already thin. BUT if I didn’t step up and protect and provide for us, who would? My husband was working for the church seven days a week, but he could have made more money working at McDonalds! It was frustrating and lonely. My husband was faithful, but I was bitter.
For a year, I labored by adding two more part-time jobs onto my already full scheduled. That year I missed out on my family, and for what? Nothing changed. In fact, we were in worse debt at the end of that year.
Haggai 1:6 explains it all, it says: “You have planted much, but you have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
On one particular day we began to argue over money (the number one reason for divorce) and my husband asked me “Do you ever think that you are the reason that we don’t have any money?” I couldn’t even respond, because I felt so convicted! The next day I called him from work weeping in repentance for the issues of my heart and said “I am the reason we don’t have any money. I took control of the situation instead of allowing God to bless us in his time and in his way.”
From that day forward I quit my extra jobs and believed that God was going to provide our needs and our dreams. Over the next year God not only gave us strategy to pay off all of our debt, but he increased our combined salaries drastically! We both received promotions and excelled in our jobs. I truly believe that the condition of my heart had kept both of us from being promotable for far too long.
The question we all have to ask ourselves when we are frustrated, hurt and even bitter is this: “Am I the one standing in the way of God’s plan, not only for myself, but for my family?” God loves us so much, he will patiently wait to bless us until we “get it”. It’s hard as a parent to watch your kids suffer, but sometimes you just have to outlast their stubbornness before you share in the joy of rewarding them.
I want to encourage you today to trust God. Not just in your finances, but with everything! Even when it looks like he’s running late, know that he’s always on time, he’s never lacking and loves to give good gifts to his kids. Get out of your own way and watch the blessings flow!
