Heaps of Blessings!

"You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Psalm 71:20

"Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead," 2 Corinthians 2:9

God amazes me. Completely amazes me. I think I'd finally acquiesced to the idea of Christmas this year. I understood that money was not going to just fall from trees and that gifts were going to be what we could make of it. I decided that all extra treats and goodies that I make this year just weren't going to happen much either. Ultimately, after being kind of sad about it for a while, I just determined that this was the way things were going to be, and I'd decided to be okay with it. Okay God, I understand I'm learning a lesson and I refuse to get sad and depressed about the holidays. I know what we are celebrating, and this year, I am just so thankful for that.

Then God does something amazing. First, last week he laid it on my sister's heart to mail me a package full of baking supplies-along with a little extra money for things like butter, flour, and sugar. And then he laid it on my mom's heart to take me and buy me a few more things I needed. And just like that, I had the things I needed to bake some Christmas treats. I have been so excited about that, that I've really been taking my time deciding what to make so that I can enjoy it more.

Then there was yesterday. I went out to get the mail, and there, underneath all the mail, was a lone gift card. No to or from- not even a dollar amount on it. Just a gift card to a major retailer all by it's lonesome. What a blessing! Some beautiful person tucked that into my mailbox for me to find. It completely lifted my spirits and gave me a burst of joy. Now the dilemma is how best to use it. Was it intended to be used for gifts for the kids? Or was it intended to buy them clothing that they need? Or was it intended to put a few groceries in my pantry? I have no way of knowing. But the card is sitting on my fridge, waiting for me to be prompted to use it. I want to use that gift in the absolute best way possible to honor the thoughtfulness of the person who left it.

I am just amazed at the graciousness of God. Just when you think you have things figured out, the unexpected happens. And I can almost hear God chuckling, saying "see, child. I know what you need, and what you want, and I am looking out for my children." I just...I don't have words I guess. Words to describe how...magnanimous? Is that the right word? Regardless. Our God is amazing and he truly is the provider of everything. I need to trust, more than ever, that he will be taking care of my little ones, because they are jewels in his eye.

In the words of the Christmas play, "thank you for Your many blessings, thank you for Your constant care."

**Okay, I'm editing late in the day, because God's on a roll, and I'm just about to reach the point of being overwhelmed. I just received an e-mail from someone offering some of their child's outgrown clothing for Abigail. In just the last few days I've noticed that she's grown again, and the sweaters she have just don't seem to be fitting very well. With no way to remedy that, I figured we were just going to have to make do. And look! He even provides the comfort of a few new sweaters for a growing girl. It's truly amazing.