Thankful

I won't lie and say that 2009 was the best year ever. In fact, in a lot of ways, it kind of sucked. It kind of sucked a lot. I don't say that to be a whiner or a complainer--I know things can always be worse. But let's face it, some days are better than others and so are some years better than others. Adam has been unemployed for a full year now. In retrospect, as I think about the past year and the challenges we have faced financially, I can see huge blessings that were a direct result of him not being employed. Some of those blessings are as follows:

Adam was able to focus almost solely on school. Because of that, he was able to take more classes and will now graduate slightly earlier than expected.

When Ruby was in the hospital, Adam was able to take care of James most of the time and he was able to come and relieve me at the hospital.

We learned to rely on the Lord for nearly everything. It is a miracle to us that somehow we have managed to pay all of our bills every single month without going into debt or having to borrow money from our parents. We also never had to apply for food stamps or other assistance (other than medical) which we are grateful for. I'm very thankful to know that assistance is there if it came down to it but fortunately we were able to get by without it.

We have learned to go without even if it was something that we really needed at the time. Is it an absolute necessity or can it be put off for a few more months? I'm thankful that (hopefully) I've learned the value of money.

We have learned from some mistakes. A few years ago, we bought a car that we immediately regretted purchasing. We have prayed and prayed that we would be able to sell it but we haven't. I know the Lord understands that we have learned our lesson but that doesn't mean He's going to instantly make the problem go away. He's definitely helped us make the payments but it would have been easier if we could have sold the car or, even better, never purchased it to begin with.

The blessings of tithing are real. I'm so thankful for this divine commandment. The Lord gives us so much more in return. We are indebted to him for all that we have and all that we are. He wants to bless us and He wants us to be happy.