Winter was typically a slow time for remodeling work -- clients had Christmas credit card bills to pay -- and the recession made jobs even more scarce. My husband would make calls to past customers to solicit work or ask for referrals, but often, the calls yielded nothing. I had negotiated a payment plan with the electric company, and we were keeping up with our mortgage payments, but there was barely enough money for groceries. I was stressed and, to be honest, at least a little scared.
A half-pound of ground meat was the most I would use in a batch of soup, and I searched and found several meatless recipes. I was in the early phase of my 'Thrift Education', and employed every thrift strategy I could find, but there were still days I just couldn't make the numbers work. The financial strain was palpable in our home, and I struggled to trust God for provision as prayers for work seemed to go unanswered. It was my husband's idea, actually, to begin The List.
Rob posted a sheet of notebook paper on the refrigerator, and said he thought we needed to note every gift, blessing or acquisition we received free of cost. To say I was skeptical is an understatement. How would making a list of blessings help with paying the bills or feeding our toddler? It seemed like an exercise in futility to me, but I conceded.
Our neighbors had gotten a new shop-vac and put their old one out on trash night. Acquired under cover of darkness, it was the first item on our list. Then another neighbor brought us half-a-pan of leftover lasagna, saying that her kids wouldn't eat it more than twice in a week, and she didn't want it to go to waste. Friends invited us to dinner. I made an unexpected jewelry sale. And on it went.
As more and more items were added to our list, it became easier to trust God to provide, and to thank Him for whatever form that provision took. Although we knew somewhere, in the back of our minds, that what we needed didn't come just through our efforts, keeping a record of how each need was met showed God's continuing care for us. We weren't in this alone. Every item on our list was a testament to His faithfulness.
Eventually work became more steady, the list was taken down, and life moved on. The lessons we learned from our list, however, are still with us. We learned that God is always, always faithful. We realized that contentment comes from focusing on what we have, and not on what we lack. And we learned, and re-learned, that every good and perfect gift comes from our loving Father (James 1:17) who is the true source of our daily bread.
--Susan Rodebush © 2010
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