Tuesday SHINE....
Today's Reading: Leviticus 2-3
Happy Tuesday, SHINE girls!
I have a little something to share. I have a very hard time controlling my mouth when it comes to things relating to God and His Awesome-ness. {is that a word?} So, I must share with you, my closest girlfriends.
Come close, and listen up....:)
Last week I was at Wal-Mart. My weekly trip.
I was browsing the greeting card isle and stumbled upon THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STATIONARY I had ever seen. Yes, in Wal-Mart. {i love writing notes, sending notes, receiving notes. all things stationary-ish}
I gasped aloud, I'm sure of it.
Slowly, I picked up the stationary, drooled a little, and turned it over to see the price.
Yikes. It was a little more than I could spend that day.
I had a budget, and I knew I needed to stick to it. Even if I went over slightly, I knew in my heart {from past experiences} that it wasn't worth it.
Although, if I'm honest, I had to really fight the desire of my flesh to put those pretty little papers in my squeaky wheeled buggy and deal with the consequence of over-spending later.
It felt like 30 minutes that I sat there contemplating. I even talked to the Lord about it. Yep, I did.
It went something like this: "God, you know I will put this stationary to good use! I will send notes to people, encourage them, and spread some sunshine to others! It must be okay if I get them, right?"
The answer went something like this: "You know you have a budget. You know the right thing to do, Jill. Obedience is far better than the temporary satisfaction you will get if you purchase these."
Uggh.
Okay, y'all. I know what you are thinking. "Seriously, what's the big deal? Going a few dollars over budget is not that big of a deal."
Oh, but it is!
I have tiptoed across that line more times than I can count. So many times I have squeaked past the line, just a tiny bit, and then had to come face to face with the consequence. I'm not just talking about money either. I'm talking about disobedience in any given area.
So, I knew the right thing to do. Put the stationary back down.
I did.
Begrudgingly.
Here's the God part: I had an early birthday celebration with a few girlfriends Sunday night. We ate, laughed, and I opened a few beautiful gifts from my sweet friends.
The last gift was under the table, so I almost didn't see it to open it.
I picked up the pretty little gift from my friend Kelly, and opened it.
I pulled out the tissue paper and gasped.
There before my very eyes was that very same stationary!!!!!! THE exact box!!!
She must have thought that I was crazy because my eyes welled up with tears as I pulled them out.
Y'all, that was not only a gift from my beautiful friend Kelly, it was a gift from God Himself.
It was His way of blessing me for taking that one little seemingly small step of obedience.
He's in the smallest of details, girls. When no one is looking and it's just you and He, He sees you. He is in every detail of your day.
Talk to Him.
About everything.
And anything.
He desires that intimacy with you.
Let Him rock your world today. He will.
still in awe,
jill
Happy Tuesday, SHINE girls!
I have a little something to share. I have a very hard time controlling my mouth when it comes to things relating to God and His Awesome-ness. {is that a word?} So, I must share with you, my closest girlfriends.
Come close, and listen up....:)
Last week I was at Wal-Mart. My weekly trip.
I was browsing the greeting card isle and stumbled upon THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STATIONARY I had ever seen. Yes, in Wal-Mart. {i love writing notes, sending notes, receiving notes. all things stationary-ish}
I gasped aloud, I'm sure of it.
Slowly, I picked up the stationary, drooled a little, and turned it over to see the price.
Yikes. It was a little more than I could spend that day.
I had a budget, and I knew I needed to stick to it. Even if I went over slightly, I knew in my heart {from past experiences} that it wasn't worth it.
Although, if I'm honest, I had to really fight the desire of my flesh to put those pretty little papers in my squeaky wheeled buggy and deal with the consequence of over-spending later.
It felt like 30 minutes that I sat there contemplating. I even talked to the Lord about it. Yep, I did.
It went something like this: "God, you know I will put this stationary to good use! I will send notes to people, encourage them, and spread some sunshine to others! It must be okay if I get them, right?"
The answer went something like this: "You know you have a budget. You know the right thing to do, Jill. Obedience is far better than the temporary satisfaction you will get if you purchase these."
Uggh.
Okay, y'all. I know what you are thinking. "Seriously, what's the big deal? Going a few dollars over budget is not that big of a deal."
Oh, but it is!
I have tiptoed across that line more times than I can count. So many times I have squeaked past the line, just a tiny bit, and then had to come face to face with the consequence. I'm not just talking about money either. I'm talking about disobedience in any given area.
So, I knew the right thing to do. Put the stationary back down.
I did.
Begrudgingly.
Here's the God part: I had an early birthday celebration with a few girlfriends Sunday night. We ate, laughed, and I opened a few beautiful gifts from my sweet friends.
The last gift was under the table, so I almost didn't see it to open it.
I picked up the pretty little gift from my friend Kelly, and opened it.
I pulled out the tissue paper and gasped.
There before my very eyes was that very same stationary!!!!!! THE exact box!!!
She must have thought that I was crazy because my eyes welled up with tears as I pulled them out.
Y'all, that was not only a gift from my beautiful friend Kelly, it was a gift from God Himself.
It was His way of blessing me for taking that one little seemingly small step of obedience.
"If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.
But if you are dishonest in little things,
you won't be honest with greater responsibilities."
Luke 16:10
He's in the smallest of details, girls. When no one is looking and it's just you and He, He sees you. He is in every detail of your day.
Talk to Him.
About everything.
And anything.
He desires that intimacy with you.
Let Him rock your world today. He will.
still in awe,
jill
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| a picture from that night-- from left: Zora, Angela, Me, Kelly, Collette, and Mary |
