All Stocked Up

"In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil,
but a foolish man devours all he has." Proverbs 21:20

We have been so blessed. I have been so blessed. I'm sure to some people, this is going to seem a little strange, and maybe even a little archaic. But I have been blessed with a pantry. No, really. I have been blessed with a desire to have a well-stocked pantry. I have written about this before, about being a busy ant and taking care of my family, but I don't know that I have really seen my pantry in action before. And now I have absolutely no doubt, that my pantry is a blessing.

"The house of the righteous contains great treasure," Proverbs 15:6

"She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar." Proverbs 31:14

The past few weeks, Andy hasn't been working much, and there hasn't been much as far is income. This is going to continue for a few more weeks. What money is coming in has to pay the bills, so there isn't anything left for groceries at the end of the week. Yet over the last few months, I have been slowly adding to the pantry. An extra can here, and extra cut of meat there, and over the course of time, I actually managed to stock the pantry somewhat. It definitely isn't burgeoning, by any means, but it's nicely stocked to get us through a few tough weeks. By taking just a few dollars and adding fresh milk, eggs, and cheese to the fridge, we have all we could possibly need to eat. It's been kind of fun to "shop the pantry" each week. As I peek in the freezer to see what is there, and look on the pantry shelves, I make a menu plan for the week and I am constantly amazed to discover that I have most everything I need right here.

And this includes what I need to have company over!

"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:13

"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." 1 Peter 4:9

Of course, last night we were blessed even further when someone else provided dinner for us and our company. It can be such a joy to let someone else take over the tasks as well. God provides in many ways, and a lot of the times it can be through other people. And sometimes he provides what we need right here in our own homes. I don't have a clue what I was thinking when I purchased that 50 pound sack of potatoes, but I do know that a hearty baked potato soup sounds completely decadent today.

I just feel completely blessed today. :-) In fact, I made this week's menu plan on Saturday, and I'm almost disappointed with that, because I feel tickled every time I make a menu plan for the week,and then realize that we're not eating up everything in the house, and there's still plenty more for the following week. I do wonder what next week is going to bring to mind to make. Our God is Great, an Greatly to be Praised. I am so thankful this morning, and I just wanted to share that.