You know, my husband and I are attending a Dave Ramsey class for financial peace.  We are both really and truly in to this.  We have been all over the map with our finances the last 12 years, and we needed some help.  So here we are, in a class, and really committing to the plan.  Our (His) plan.

So, the first step of the plan is to put $1000 in savings.  Step one, complete.  Step two is to start paying off debt.  We set up a budget for October, we have a lot of extra money this month for a couple of reasons.  The biggest, we believe is because God is blessing us for our commitment to being good financial stewards and for our commitment to tithe as we are instructed in the Bible.

Well, guess what?  Our car broke down this weekend.  The one and only car we own.  So here we are, with a car repair of at least $1500 if not $2000.  As you can see, the repair is going to go beyond our emergency fund.  And, even with the extra we had this payday (thank you Lord that this fell on a payday week), we are still going to be short if it goes upwards of the $2k. 

I know in my heart that the money really isn't an issue.  He is going to get us through this, and the enemy is just trying to pull us down.  The Truth is, and always will be that we are His children.  My heavenly Father is a King and he has more riches than we could ever imagine.  Nothing the enemy can do will shortchange me of my inheritance.  So today I'm praying that God will keep us in His favor and we will be debt free sooner than later. 

Guess what?  Before I could even finish this we heard from the car repair guy and the damage wasn't as bad as they expected.  So the repair is going to be under the $1500!  Praise the Lord for taking care of us! 

It's amazing to me that even while I was wondering how I should feel, He took care of it for me anyway.

When you are in a situation like this, do you struggle with your emotions?  How hard is it for you to stay focused on His plan instead of fighting the world and worrying about what may or may not happen?

For years I've compared myself to Sarah.  She knew in her heart that God would give her a child, as He had promised.  But she took that alternate path, just in case... 

There were many times I professed my faith, and I just knew God would provide and take care of me.  I didn't doubt him, ever.  I took comfort in knowing that all things would be for His good.  But yet, I somehow felt the need to stay "in control" of the situation.  I would outwardly state that God was going to take care of me, and then sit down and plan out just how He would do it.  I would work and rework the budget.  I would make plans on how we would manage one thing or another, reminding myslef often that it was God doing so.  It took a long time for me to realize that I was taking the control away from God, only to get myself in to a bigger mess in most cases.  Once I finally threw my hands in the air and layed the situation at His feet, it would always turn out much better than I could have imagined.  Go figure!

So this summer He has really been working on me.  He has led me to break a couple of really bad habits.  He told me clearly that He could not truly bless us until I gave them up.  So I did, and I've felt amazing about doing it.  But as we struggled to overcome the financial impact of a quick move across Texas, I would stress over how we were going to make ends meet.  We've never been great with money to begin with, and I knew I had to allow God to lead us.  He has repeatedly surprised me with blessings over the last few months.

Of course, I just couldn't let go of that control.  I knew He would take care of us, but yet I still HAD to get involved.  I HAD to jump in feet first without fully trusting Him.  I started running 3 businesses out of my home, one of which confines me to the house all day.  I had an honest motive.  I am home so I can keep my granddaughter that was born 10 weeks early.  Her mom is a teacher, and couldn't bare to leave her in daycare at this point.  I also am home to help with my older two grandchildren, 2 and 10 months.   

So here I am, struggling with the decision I made and overwhelmed by my responsibilities.  I really thought having the steady income would help more, and now, here I am, feeling overwhelmed.  I can't keep up with all of them well, finding myself jumping from one to another all day long.

Now I am praying that God will get me through all of this.  I would love to give up the business that keeps me home.  I would love to get out of this house once in a while during the day.  I would love even more being able to pick up my son from school instead of depending on others to do it.  And now that I lay it at His feet, I know His plan will amaze me once again.

Have you ever interfered with God's plans?  How did it impact your situation?

that some days I can wake up and feel at total peace with my life.  Not all days, so when I do I relish the feeling.  I've been here before, and I know how easy it is for the enemy to lure me back.  So every day I have to remember to stay focused on Him.

Today I've been thinking about our finances.  We have enough money to pay bills, that's not the issue.  There are some things, like a purchase I need to make for my business and the fact I don't have a car right now that I wonder about.  These are things we are going to need to do soon, and on paper it just doesn't exist.  But I truly believe that when the timing is right He will bless us with what we need.  I've seen so many times recently that He has provided for us when I had no idea how it would happen.  So I'm not at all worried.  I just watch in awe as our lives unfold each day. 

And today, I'm going to work hard and stay prayerful....