Provision

On December 1st, I blogged about the money crunch we were experiencing this month. It was one of the first times this year that we've experienced questions about how to pay our basic bills, let alone food or gas {Justin is not on salary--he's an hourly employee that is also partially commission based}.

I blogged about my internal battle of knowing that when we follow the path that God calls us on, our needs will be provided for, but the battle of actually waiting on the Lord, and trusting for that to happen. It is so hard for me to sit patiently and wait sometimes. Sometimes, it is so hard for me to trust, even though I do believe.

Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?"  or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ~Matthew 6: 31-32 

I am so excited to write this post, because the ways in which we have experienced provision in these past two weeks have been humbling and absolutely awe-inspiring for me:

• I was able to participate in a craft fair, and made a modest amount selling headbands. I was then invited to participate, free of charge, into a second "shopping night", where most of the participants were young moms, and made an average of  $17 an hour {it's especially important for me to look at the hourly breakdown, because at the onset of the initial "Crunched" post, I was contemplating looking for a part-time retail type job, that likely would have paid minimum wage. I did not think that this was what God wanted, but I wasn't entirely confident in His ability to provide for our needs at that time}. 
• The weather over the weekend was spectacular, and I was able to do a pending photo shoot.
• My parents gave us an incredible monetary gift, saying that they were "paying it forward" from a time when their parents had done the same. 
• Justin's parents gave all their kids our Christmas present early this year, which was part of a grass-fed cow, split four ways. What a brilliant gift!
• So many friends, many who aren't aware of our financial situation, have dropped off Christmas presents for Lizzy.
• I've had several instances in which people who have no clue about our financial situation have spontaneously given us things--whether it's one of the older ladies at church giving us the leftover chili from the lunch at the craft bazaar, or the mentor couple from Bible Study saying that they have a huge bag of their granddaughter's old clothes that are Lizzy's current size, and asked if we accept second-hand clothes (um, yes!).
• For the first time ever, we actually received formula samples and checks in the mail. One of them was a $12 check, for the exact type of formula that Lizzy usually uses.

These are just a few examples of the way we've experienced provision in the past two weeks. It has been such a good lesson for me that God will provide, just not always in the ways that I anticipate--for example, I thought that most of our monetary need would be answered in the form of a Christmas bonus for Justin, which they typically receive the Friday before their Christmas party (which was this past weekend). But Friday came and went without a check. Even though that opportunity didn't arise this year, so many others that I would never have anticipated did, and our needs have been met. God is so good.

Will Justin and I be getting each other lavish gifts for Christmas? No. We *might* do small stockings for each other, depending on how things go. But our fridge is full, we have gas in our cars, and we were able to get the little kids in our lives small Christmas gifts. Our needs, and even a few of our wants, have been provided for.

It sounds so bizarre, but I am actually really thankful for our money crunch this month, because it's re-framed things for me. It's made Christmas cookies and buying a yearly ornament for Lizzy feel like the special treats that they truly are, rather than givens.

Thank you guys for your prayers and encouragement these past few weeks. My heart is so full.