When I have enough, sure, I’ll give. I enjoy it. But when it’s getting down to the wire in my own bank account, why am I so hesitant to continue blessing others?
A couple days ago, my husband and I had devotions in the morning. The point of it was planting seeds in others lives and how you will reap what you sow. Then, on the car ride to Council Bluffs, I read another book that quotes Matt. 7:2: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
God was preparing our hearts for today, but we had no idea.
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The city can be hard on the senses (and especially my conscience) while riding around in a middle-class car, encountering homeless people holding their signs and manning the corners everywhere I turn. I wish in my heart that I could change their lives forever, but I know I can’t. Maybe I could do something to at least brighten their day, and sometimes I do. But right now? We have nothing. We’re young newlyweds.
Our car zooms towards the store; we’re almost there. Mark and I see a homeless person, who stands in the sun’s blasting rays.
“Dear Jesus, please….” Mark begins.
“Honey, let’s give him our extra sunglasses” that so and so gave us. “Sure, they’re nice, but we’re never going to use them. It’s at least something,” I cut my husband off. It’s out of character, but I didn’t want to get so far away that it’d be easy to keep going and not stop.
“Ok, I guess we could do that.” Mark turns the car around in the parking lot and parks near the corner where the older gentleman is standing with his “Homeless, please help” sign. I hand Mark the sunglasses. He hops out of the car and walks over. The old man had been squinting his eyes shut against the sun, but as soon as he saw Mark it’s almost like he turned into a sunbeam! They shook hands, Mark gave him the sunglasses, and they talked for a couple minutes. Soon, I saw them both folding their hands in prayer.
Mark came back to the car, and the man yelled “God bless,” as Mark was shutting the car door. We waved goodbye. We did what God had prompted us to do, and we were happy to give the old man a smile. It feels good to know you make a difference.
Next, we went to the store to buy a church member some old-fashioned candy. He had given us $10 and Hobby Lobby has 40% off one-item-coupons. Remembering that, we went to Wifi, got it, and then went to the store.
“I want to get him as much as we can with his ten dollars. Can I take some of our change too?” Mark asks. I didn’t know what to say. I was hungry. He was hungry. Our only chance of a meal today was Taco Bell. We have enough for one burrito, and a little extra.
“Sure, honey,” unsure in my heart if we would end up being the ones on the corner of the street asking for food. As I was thinking this, God gave me comfort. He said,”If you give now I will bless you later. I will take care of you.”
Trusting God’s guidance, I put away my worries.
Mark came back with the candy. “Guess what. They used the 40% off and gave it off of the whole purchase, not just one item. We bought out the candy for him!” He was ecstatic, and I was stunned. Hobby Lobby had never done that before when I had been in there, it has to be God.
Pulling away, Taco Bell is our final stop before a 2 hour drive home.
“Welcome to Taco Bell, would you like to try…today?”
“No, thank you. One minute.” We scan the board and see that two burritos might cost a little over what we have.
“Let’s see what the tax would make it. You never know,” I suggest.
“How much are two burritos with tax?” Mark asks. Sure enough, about 30 cents short.
“Did you guys have any questions?”
“We are trying to see if we have enough,” we answer, embarrassed that two burritos are putting us over-budget.
“How much do you have?” He asks.
“We’re 30 cents short.”
“Pull up, and don’t worry about it. Just bring what you’ve got.”
“You’re serious? Thanks!” We can’t believe it. How in the world would someone cover the tab or give us discounted food right when we need it?
Arriving at the window is a young man, a little older than us. He is working diligently to get us our order, and we give him our money.
“Thank you so much! You really made our day. We’re going to recommend this place to everyone,” Mark complimented. The man’s face looked like the homeless man’s, beaming more than the sun.
God helped us to plant seeds of blessings into his children’s lives today, and in turn our own harvest came in. God took care of us, will always take care of us, and He wants to use us to help others also. In the end, it’s more of a blessing to give than receive. Let us rest our hopes in the Lord, not our wallet.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matt. 6:25)
