When you guest post, they ask you to keep it to 500 words. I had to rewrite several times, omitting information as I went. If it seems pieced together, it's because it was. I read each comment and was pleased with most comments and can understand the uncertainty of others, believers and unbelievers alike. There was no "magic math" but needs were met. There is power in the word of our testimony and I thought there may be others that felt like I did. This post was to encourage those that felt like they followed Dave Ramsey's teaching and debt didn't disappear as quick for them as it did for others. It was written to get you to turn your eyes upon God who meets our needs and takes care of us.
When my husband gets his paycheck, we write out our tithe check, pay the bills and I look at the weeks ahead to plan our budget. As one writer commented, I do not sit back and do nothing and just wait for God to meet my needs, but I do believe my God knows what I have need of before I do. On the practical side, I teach piano out of my home, I started with one student, four years ago, and by the end of last year God had blessed me with 6 students. I sell my children's clothes at consignment sales and turn around and spend that money on the clothes they need. I have a seasonal job at a pumpkin patch and I will sell homeschool materials to earn some money for the upcoming year. We always put our tax refund check into savings (but hope to never touch it). On the side of Faith, we have had a person or two come up to us and say, "The Lord wants me to give you this money" and it did meet the need we had at that moment. I have gone shopping and been at the right place, at the right time to receive a blessing on items we needed. I have had clothing galore given to me. My husband has received unexpected bonuses at work. This is the God I serve.
Some people replied that our budget on paper should make sense, it's math, but it doesn't. It isn't every month, it's the months when unexpected things come up and they do come up. Two weeks ago my husband hit a pothole in the dark and bent both wheel axles, the cost is $776. Two days later, he sees my front van tire is almost flat. He goes to fix it and notices this is the tire he plugged before and it isn't going to hold another plug, the cost of 2 new tires (another one was bald) $187. Then, my dad comes over to pick up my kids to stay the weekend and he hands me a check for $1000 and says "This is for your birthday." I didn't want to fix my cars for my birthday, but it was perfect timing to meet our need. My dad is retired and isn't in the habit of handing us checks, but I believe God moved on his heart so we wouldn't have to dip into our savings.
This is the verse our family believes. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10. We tithe our time and talents, as well as money, working for the Lord at our church. We are striving to be good stewards of what God has given us. I love the teachings of Dave Ramsey and haven't given up at all. We have one car payment ($4000), our mortgage and $8900 in savings. We have been steadily plodding to be financially free and with God's help, we will be!
Being faithful to the tithe has also brought HUGE blessings to my family. My children are adults now. My husband and I have no car payments and are a little over a year from having our house paid for. I did not go to work until five years ago--parttime--and my paycheck goes toward our house each month. We have lived conservatively always placing God first and He has always met our needs. He is faithful and worthy of our Praise!!! (I appreciate Dave Ramsey, also!!)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post. As a stay at home, homeschooling mother of four, I can relate to it all. We have those months that don't make sense on paper (and I say to my husband, but it ought to add up!) and God has been so faithful to us as well. We may not have much in the bank, but not much debt either, still I can't impress anybody with our numbers. In the end, we're choosing something far more important, placing an inestimable value on our time with our children. If working each day to bless my husband and children is "sitting back and doing nothing" it is strangely exhausting. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI agree. My Father-in-law pulled me aside one day and told me how great it was that I was home with my children and by investing my time in them, I was making deposits in heavenly treasure. That's the treasure that will not rust or corrode.
DeleteThis was an encouragement to me because our family is much like yours. It's sometimes discouraging when we're not making as much progress as we think we should. (Compared to others). But God is faithful and gives us all we need while still relying on Him. And we get to see Him work! He gives and he takes away. We have seen both. We have what he wants us to have.
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