Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - God Cares About $2 Problems

    "You also must be ready, 

because the Son of Man will come 

at an hour when you do not expect Him." 

Luke 12:40

     Saturday, Tom, Nick, Dave Ramsey and I went shoe shopping for Nick. We found plenty of shoes but not any on which Dave and Nick could agree. Payday's tomorrow and this $0 Cash Flow budget really worked out for us this month, meaning there is zero cash to flow during the last few days of the month. With $23 in the envelop we looked and hoped for a miracle. We found one pair of shoes Nick liked at Shoe Carnival for $25.00 and Nick was excited until I reminded him we had $23 even after I scoured both cars for loose change. It was TOUGH to say "no" over $2.00, but we stuck to our guns and didn't pull out the technology to transfer money from savings to checking. We moved on but those shoes haunted Nick, and me, too. I liked them: they WOULD be good for church, and they WERE the only pair like them in the clearance section. 

     Nick talked us into going back to Shoe Carnival to see if he could spin the wheel and get a big enough discount to buy the shoes. If you've never been to Shoe Carnival be warned, they mean "carnival." Employees use their best D.J. voices to advertise specials and to announce trivia contests, competitions or races in which the winning customers get to spin a game wheel for discounts or prizes. As we walked through the door we heard an employee announcing that the first customer to get to the wheel wearing his or her shoes backwards could spin. Nick quickly slipped his left foot in his right shoe and had his right foot halfway in his left shoe when some Bozo ran past us claiming the prize. A lady stood behind Nick still slipping her feet into the wrong shoes when the employee, God bless him, announced three winners. Bozo grudgingly pointed out that Nick didn't have both feet inserted completely into his shoes (discount hog!) but our kind sponsor let all three "winners" spin. As Nick spun, Tom tried to hypnotize the wheel by repeating, "Stop on $5, stop on $5." The same employee kindly stopped the wheel before it slipped from a $4 discount to $1 discount. We were ecstatic when the shoes rang up for $17 because unknown to us, all clearance shoes were an extra 20% off that day in addition to the $4 from the spin. Nick thanked the employee, I thanked the employee, Tom thanked the employee and we all thanked God for appearing and working in a shoe store, especially in one named Shoe Carnival. 

     If we had pulled strings and gone against the discipline we're trying to develop, we would have missed a golden opportunity to experience God work in our lives. Our family's faith grew in a shoe store where God showed us He cares about $2 problems, rewards discipline, and comes through with more than we could hope for or imagine. In a culture accustomed to forcing blooms and buying on credit, we miss miracles God has in store for us in His time.  

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:" 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

In this Shoe Carnival contest for discounts, customers competed on the hoola-hoop.
Thank goodness Nick's contest wasn't that challenging!

     Sovereign God, You know our hearts and how prone we are to figuring things out or rationalizing our way to solve a problem. You know what a time we have preparing our minds and hearts for You to work, yet Your Grace-acts in our behalf bring Peace and Security. Your Kindness when we least expect it, leads to rest and Joy. Your Provision satisfies us when our manipulating and string-pulling leaves us dry and drained. Transform our hearts into trusting vessels. Change our minds about our roles in the way You work. Open our eyes to see You on Your throne wherever we go.

In the Name of Jesus, Who graciously saved those who followed Him from the beginning as well as the dying thief on the cross!

"I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 

John 16:33