Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Worry and Frugal Living


Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?


 6:26 Look at the birds in the sky:   They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds  them. Aren’t you more valuable  than they are?



6:28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers  of the field grow; they do not work  or spin. 



I do a lot to save Pete and I money from home, especially in the kitchen cooking from scratch. And this year I was planning on trying all sorts of new things, like baking bread for Pete's sandwiches, sprouting seeds, hanging laundry out to dry (I was getting the hang of that one), and maybe even making keffir from scratch. But January I seemed to manage to catch every flu and cold bug going around, and am having to still force myself to rest because I managed to develop bronchitis! So if I can keep up with the dishes and the laundry (not line dried!), I am happy. Meals from scratch are mostly out the window (I hope you don't sick of kosher hot dogs babe!), and instead of  squirrling away money by my delicious frugal cooking I've been spending it in droves on organic carrot juice and antibiotics! Then on top of that, Pete found out he had to get almost a thousand dollars worth of dental work done over the next several months.(Pete's Mom - if you read this - please don't worry - we are doing fine! Just not giving Sallie Mae any extra nickels and dimes for the moment).

I have been tempted to be worried about all of this extra money spent (and not saved or used toward debt), but since my bronchitis and Pete's fillings and crowns are clearly outside of our control, we decided we would actually pray and ask for God to provide. And you'd think that after years of being a Christian, answered prayer wouldn't shock me, but it still does! Pete got a call Monday night asking if he wanted to teach an online section of "Biblical Hermeneutics" at the seminary he periodically picks up classes at. He has taught this class already, so it is not too much extra work for him, and it covers the bulk of the work that needs done on his teeth.

My point is this - it is good for homemakers to work hard to save their families' money. But in times of illness or emergency, it is not always possible to do as well at this as you would like. And ultimately, it is God who provides for us, and our confidence should be in Him, not in how many pennies we can save through hanging laundry on the line or baking bread from scratch.

13 comments:

  1. So true, so true. I love to hear stories of God's provision in challenging times. I'm still trying to get used to God's provisions and like you though I am a christian and pray I still get amazed at how he comes through! I have a tendency to "do" first (and often worrY) and pray second if I am not diligent. I've been working on this for a long time ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Joyful - I know, isn't it amazing that even though God is always faithful to provide for us, it surprises us! I feel like if my faith was stronger, I wouldn't be surprised, I'd just praise Him in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh how I LOVED this post, i like to leave a comment on occasions if something has caught my eye but this one I REALLY heard. I to had this nast virus and it to developed into bronchitis. if I may would you allow me to print the last bit of your post to keep on my notice bored by my desk to give me a mentak kick up the bum. because sometime i need it lol
    hope you are feeling much better
    Rachel

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such valid points, PW. Hubby and I have laid down a budget and I'm already finding it hard to stick to, but I want to be a faithful steward of what God has given to us. Why? Not only to honor God, but because I usually stand in the way of something more amazing. Thanks for the great reminder. And hope you feel better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rachel - of course you can! Glad it helped - I'm still very much trying to learn this lesson myself

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jessie Bee - We want to be better stewards of what God has given us too - who knows what the future might bring ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I needed to read this - thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. There is plenty of time for scratch cooking, line drying and bread baking when you're feeling better. I hope you're on the mend now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. One step at a time. I struggle with a bit of guilt when illness pushes me off the path. Blessings to you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing this. I often go off and running trying to figure out how best to pinch those pennies, when I should first be at My Savior's feet giving it all to Him. Praying you feel better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. yes, get well soon, PW. the kitchen adventures will wait!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...