Small Provisions.

I'm a firm believer in God's provision in our lives, as we trust Him.  Countless times, in ways big and small, I've seen Him provide for me.  Sometimes, those ways are so "small" that only I catch them; other times, His provision in my life is evident to all those around me.

This week, I've experienced a couple of those small, private provisions, where I knew yet again that God was taking care of me.  Just as we do, God delights in giving good things to His children (Matthew 7:9-11; James 1:17; Psalm 84:11).  Earlier in the week, I had come down with a minor cold and realized that we were running out of all forms of pain relief.  Now that I can get items for free or nearly free, I hate buying things without a coupon, especially medicines that can be pricey. I made up in my mind that I would wait on buying more. The very next day, a coupon for a free bottle of Advil arrived in my mailbox.  I forgot I had signed up for it, and I knew it was God's way of saying, "Here, daughter."

Then, yesterday, an unexpected package came in the mail from our brother and sister-in-law in Colorado. We opened it to find the above goodies: two jars of homemade jam and a pound of Human Bean decaf coffee!  Now, again, I thought to myself, how funny that we would get homemade jam and decaf coffee... I have been meaning to buy more jelly at the store for weeks, but again, hadn't found a good deal on it; and I had stopped buying decaf coffee as a way to save money, though this meant a sacrifice in our ability to drink coffee in the afternoons/evenings (coffee drinking is a favorite pastime in our household). These had been fleeting thoughts and little sacrifices that I had made up privately in my mind over the past month or so, but God through His love and generosity, provided these gifts (and homemade jam is far better than store bought jelly). I have found that one of the most exciting aspects of a frugal lifestyle is the clearer ability to see God provide (Matthew 6:25-33).

I also firmly believe that God's main way of blessing the world is through people, specifically His children (Genesis 12:1-3). As the body of Christ, we are His plan A on reaching the world and blessing those around us, which is my prime reason for this blog. So, thank you Russel and Zoey for the surprise package! It meant a lot, we love the goodies, and God used you in this way to show me His love.



Thank you to Jeff at The Faith Log for providing some great insights and Scriptures on this topic.