What a Blessing!!!!!

Today I received a Christmas card.....inside was $2,000 CASH! (and NO, it was NOT from my Mom and Dad...if you are wondering!) I about fell over! God has always been faithful to our family, and He often uses other people to meet our needs...but $2,000 cash ?! WOW! Amazing! My goal for 2008 was to pay off all of our credit cards-we have been so blessed this year and we are down to only one card-and now, with this blessing, we are going to be able to pay it off in January! NO MORE credit card debt! We owe on our house and our car-but that is ALL! God is so good! We stopped using our credit cards a long time ago-after we charged my equipment for the photography business. We have since learned how to manage without using them-that is a blessing all by itself! So, now, when we get our tax return back, we can afford to fix up our house and our plumbing issues (my Daddy tried to fix the tub while he was here but he said that we are going to have to go through the wall in the girls' room to repair it!). We also have issues with the back bathroom, the kitchen sink, the toilets (both bathrooms), the dishwasher is broken and most recently........the washing machine is now leaking! We should be able to fix at least SOME of that with the tax return! Then, our next goal is going to be to get life insurance for Brett and me and then start saving $$-so we do not have to wait for the next tax return to fix any other house issues! Anyhoo, I am so excited and grateful to God (and the people that He uses!) for being able to pay off our card! AND for being able to pay our bills! Some of that $2,000 will go to our budget next month-Brett's 2nd job has been sloooooooow! Two weekends this month he did not have ANY work! Well, I just wanted to share my joy with everyone...I really hope that I am not coming across the wrong way-I really just wanted to share how good God has been to my family! Trust me when I say....there have been MANY, MANY times when I sat and heard other people's testimonies-about how God dropped 2 grand into their lap....or how God canceled all their debt-and I did not understand why God did not ever do that for us! I can not pretend to understand why God provides "more than enough" for some people and for other people (like us sometimes).....just barely enough! Or, why He seemingly doesn't provide at ALL for some people. I do not understand! I know that there are many of you who are reading this who are on the very brink of losing everything you have, and you wonder how you will provide for your children-please do not give up! He does not always come (almost never!) when we think we need Him-but if you stay faithful....He WILL provide. One way or the other! You may be under a much smaller roof-but He will provide shelter (to some people, my little tiny house is a mansion!). You may not be eating steak.....but He will provide food (Ramen noodles are still considered food-right?)! "Give and it WILL come back to you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together..". There are many weeks (MOST!) when we put our tithe into the offering, I pray. I remind God that we are giving out of obedience to His word and out of obedience to His voice. I ask Him to stretch and multiply our (His) tithe money and use it to bring souls into His kingdom. Then, I ask Him to remember the covenant that we have with Him and ask Him to meet our needs. It may sound strange, to remind God of anything... after all, it is not like He forgets! But, none the less, I do. He always provides! Praying lots of blessings over your families too, Sha

When Bubba saw the money...he screamed "we can stay at Disney world FOREVER!"! Too funny!