Isaiah 25:1

"LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1

The past several months have been "sprinkled" (some times it seems like dumped) with some trials and difficult times. I shared several on here in previous posts. It was like we were still catching up, trying to tread water since Matt's layoff this summer. We were so thankful when he was hired on by a new company. He was actually hired the day his benefits at his last company ran out. Coincidence? I don't think so. Unfortunately, Matt's new paycheck was not what it had been before and no benefits were provided until he had worked there a certain amount of time. Paying for family health insurance out of pocket was a heavy burden. It was a significant amount more than we could actually afford every month. You can imagine (or maybe you also are in that boat!) the stress of that. We were just trying to "make it" until the benefits rolled in at his work. When the time came, we realized the plan offered at work was no cheaper, so we stuck with what we had. The stress in my gut grew deeper. Well, let me tell you: Miraculously, we were provided for during that time...even though we were so short ourselves. Little blessings along the way and things we don't even know about I'm sure, somehow filled in the gap. Yes, God filled in that gap in ways He can only do. This weekend, things just seemed to smack us though. We felt very attacked through the weekend and into Monday. We are dealing with some diapering "issues" still with Stevie that needed attention ASAP, we had slid into a guardrail on the slippery snow, and we had been in process of switching to a different health care plan to try to make it more affordable for MONTHS! Then Sunday night, our sump pump bit the dust, Matt (going back to school) received his first graded assignment back (and he's almost done with the class in 2 weeks...it would be nice to know how he's doing before then), and it was not good. Our basement is filling with water, and it's too late to get a sump pump on a Sunday night. Matt tried using something else with no success. However, in that process, he stumbled upon another pump in the basement. (We don't spend much time down there, haha, because it's an old, old cellar of an 1800's house...we've been here since June.) He hooked it up, and well, we know why it wasn't the one installed because it only works when it wants to. For days, Matt (or I had to when he as at work and class) had to go down and jiggle it to kick on...over and over and over. Not my favorite thing to do in the least....stomping through the standing water in the basement in Matt's big boots! After Stevie's Dr's appointment (waiting in the waiting room for over an hour and a half and dealing with more insurance issues...and still trying to deal with his diapering issues after we got home), I was spent. I cried the whole way home. By the time I pulled into the driveway, I said, "God, I know you're bigger than all of this. I NEED You to help. I NEED You to do...this."

A few weeks earlier, when we were looking at our budget in stress, I was telling Matt that I loved him. I loved him way more than any money he brought in, and I appreciated his faithful provision for our family. It's our choice that I stay home, and I will not complain about how much we have or don't have. We needed to do our best and let God fill in the rest because only He can. I said, "Sometimes I think He likes to show us a glimpse of How big He is and how amazing He is when we are so short." So in those moments in the car parked in our driveway, I was faithfully putting all these things in His hands. Like this verse: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Well, we are still waiting for more of an answer in Stevie's diapering department, but never in my wildest dreams would I have expected Him to show His power to us so quickly. The next day, Matt called from work saying he got a raise!! This was so significant that it will meet our financial needs and maybe even a bit more! (Yup, when Matt called me...I cried. I called my mom...and cried. She was confused, "This is a good thing isn't it?" haha.) We are blessed I tell ya! Yes, there is a God. And my God, is a big God who deeply cares and is personally involved in our day to day lives. It is so very humbling to mean that much to Him, and to see His hand at work in our lives. And, how sweet it is to receive such blessing right in the thick of trials. It is so important to me to give praise where it is due...to our great God, and to record these things as further evidence of His greatness and love so I don't forget and can teach them to my children.