You Can Stop Worrying Now {He's Already Provided}

Good Evening, Everyone!

Okay, so I wasn't kidding earlier when I said 

that this Roller-Coaster Life has been OVERWHELMED with children lately.

In addition to the kids I take care of at work,

I've been doing quite a bit of babysitting on the side.

You know, trying to make ends meet.

'Cause honestly, that's the other thing this Roller-Coaster Life

is currently OVERWHELMED with:

DEBT.

(Yeah, I know I just used the dreaded four-letter "D" word...)

In my early twenties, I wasn't the best steward of my finances.

In addition to student loans, 

I wracked up debt on multiple credits cards.

Yes, I said "multiple".

I'm not proud of that and I've been working to rectify the situation.

However, its been relatively slow going

and even though I"m cutting corners wherever possible

I'm not seeing a lot of progress.

Lately, there have been some "extra expenses"

and I'm finding myself coming up short.

I keep finding just enough to cover my bills,

but no extra money for gas or Wal-Mart necessities.

Obviously, this isn't okay...

This is the place I found myself in yesterday.

I have right at a quarter of a tank of gas

and absolutely no money til I get paid on Friday, Sept. 6. 

Naturally, I was driving when all of this dawned on me

and I glanced up through my sun-roof to Heaven and said, 

"Okay, Jesus, how am I going to pay for gas this week?"

Then I pulled into the parking lot at Thomas Jefferson 

and my attention went to the 26 little people I was in charge of

and I momentarily forgot about my gas situation.

However, when the day was done and I was back in my car driving home,

there it was staring me in the face again.

I kind of rolled my eyes in disgust at the whole situation

and then tried to think about something else.

When I got home, mom announced that she wasn't fixing dinner; 

that we were going to Panera instead

(YUMMY!!!!).

I set down my work bag on the dining room table

ready to follow her right back out the door

when I spied the day's mail on the table. 

On of the envelopes with my name on it

was from Macy's. 

I'm used to getting mail from Macy's:

I have a Macy's Credit Card

(I told you I had multiple...).

However, this enveloped looked different

than the traditional billing statements

I was accustomed to getting. 

Aloud I gasped, "Is that a check?!"

I snatched up the envelope and opened it

to find a check!

It was a check worth less than $25,

but it was still a check. 

And it would be enough cover my gas expenses

for the upcoming week.

I started laughing and burst out, "Thank You, Jesus!"

My mother, of course, was stunned 

that I truly had received a check from Macy's.

Furthermore, she was beyond confused that I had somehow known ahead of time 

that that is what the Macy's envelope contained.

I explained to her that several months ago,

I received a billing statement from Macy's 

informing me that my Macy's charge account was now paid off

and that I had accidentally OVERPAYED them $24.41.

(How this occurred, I do not know...)

Naturally, they invited me to visit their store

and make a purchase to use up the credit on my account.

Being a Macy's Girl at heart,

I naturally decided that is exactly what I would do!

However, time just got away from me

and I never made into Macy's to make a purchase.

To make a long story short, 

I suppose Macy's was tired of showing a credit on my account

and decided to reimburse me the money.

I could write this off as a simple coincidence.

In fact, that's exactly what my mother did

after I related the whole story to her.

But I'm choosing not to.

I'm choosing to believe that my Father,

Who own the cattle of a thousand hills,

orchestrated this pay out from Macy's to occur

just when I needed it too!

He already had this all in the works

when I asked Him, 

"Okay, Jesus, how am I going to pay for gas this week?".

Can I offer you a bit of encouragement?

If He did this for me, and I believe He did, 

He will do the same for you.

He knows what we have need of before we can even ask

or THINK to ask about it.

God cares about the stressers in our lives.

Whether they be financial or otherwise,

they do not go unnoticed by Him.

What concerns us, concerns Him.

He loves us and therefore "is not out of touch with our realities" 

(Hebrews 4:15 The Message).

The Apostle Peter invites us to:

"...humble [ourselves] (YES! I am including myself in this!)

under the mighty hand of God,...

casting all [our] cares upon him,

for he cares for [us]."

(I Peter 5:6-7 NKJV)

   

In other words, 

you can stop worrying now.

He's already provided!

:)

Thank you for reading!

I hope you found a little hope to take away with you!

Keep your chin up...

tomorrow is Friday!

And even if it wasn't,

I know a God Who can help you make through til Friday! :)

 

  P.S. This song has been stuck in my head 

since this all happened yesterday...

Enjoy :).