Through the course of this, I celebrated a birthday and in that "celebration," I receive a few cards, one being from my parents with a check included. I placed the check in my "safe keeping" place in my purse so I'd have it when I went to the bank. There was an entire week between receiving the check and going to the bank, so as it turned out, I forgot about the check. In the next couple of days, it crossed my mind, so I went to my place of "safe keeping" in my purse and couldn't find it!
I didn't panic, but I did get serious about finding that check. I looked through the birthday cards, but it wasn't there. I even checked the glove compartment in the buggy and over the visor, still no check . . . I went back to my "safe keeping" place again and still nothing. I'm not usually careless and forgetful, but it did cross my mind that perhaps my memory had been affected by my fall.
I poured a cup of coffee and began thinking about the fact I wasn't having to rush around to go work and that I didn't really need the money for anything pressing, I began giving thanks. There was a time when that check would have been needed, really needed, to pay a bill or an actual provision. There were about seven lean years in my late teens through mid twenties in which every dollar that came into my possession was needed for provision . . . I, like so many, wasn't operating in any sort of financial wisdom. Life cost just a little more than I actually made, it seemed. By the age of thirty, I had gained a considerable amount of wisdom in money management. When I became a believer and actually began tithing as well as seeking Abba in all income and spending, my finances changed dramatically. My income didn't increase, but my expenses decreased dramatically, and that has remained consistent all these years later.
At the age of 36, twenty-one years ago, Abba showed me that debt does not lead to the American dream and He had a much better plan for me than the American dream. As I looked for that check, I was aware and thankful that I don't have a gas heating bill. I don't have a water bill, and my electric bill is amazingly low by comparison to what I read and hear from others. My grocery bill is practically non-existent. I chose to live simply years ago, which included no mortgage or car payment. The worst thing that crossed my mind about that missing check was if I didn't find it, I'd have to tell Daddy I lost it . . .
That single missing check brought a cavalcade of thanksgiving to my heart. I had one small moment of thinking Mr. B should have dropped whatever he was doing to help me look, but I gained victory over that thought without verbalizing it, by reading in a devotional. As I was reading, he did offer to go through the trash before he burned it, and for that I was grateful. He offered to look one more place, and with that, I said I was going to go through my purse one more time. Since I'd recently changed purses, I decided to go through every pocket and compartment. When I got to the "safe keeping" place, I noticed a couple of pages were stuck together. Sure enough, between those two pages was that missing check! I immediately gave thanks for the discovery, but then found myself so thankful for the things I'd become aware of, through that time of searching.
Kingdom Economy isn't about bigger houses and fancy jets, it's about how little of the world's wealth we really need and how amazing the provision of our Heavenly Father truly is.
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