Good morning to all of you sweet moms who made it through spring break! If you followed me any last week, you knew I was in "grandma-mom" mode for the week as my out-of-town grandkids were in-town for spring break. My in-town grandkids were not on spring break which made for an exciting week of trying to connect all the cousins for amble time of playing four square, dress up, ping-pong, trampoline, fishing, Ninja (new game, ask your kids) and catching the latest kid movies. All of the previously mentioned activities make up the fun part of grandma mode. The other part I call the "grandma-mom mode" is made up of separating fighting kids, reinforcing the need to say please, thank you, yes sir and no sir, emphasizing the importance of sharing, inspecting for clean teeth and hair, and FEEDING them. UGH! I am so not the cook. I've tried for years to get the world on a different schedule of eating—like maybe once a day, but so far no one has bought into my plan. So, last week I had to stick to the popular three times a day food plan that apparently my kids have their children on. J I do wonder if that's how God designed us or did the whole Eve and apple event mess things up for us moms. I'm not sure about the eating schedule, but I do know if Eve had not eaten the forbidden fruit, people would probably be snacking all day on the delicious fruits and vegetables growing all around them. Eve did not have to fire up the stove, prepare, cook, and then wash dishes three times a day. (Okay, I don't really fire up the stove.) Nope, it would have been every man and child for himself, just snacking on the land. "Mom, I'm hungry," a child might say. "Sweetie, just run out in the back yard. I saw where God was growing the nicest oranges and broccoli spears." What a pleasant thought! Oh well, I'm really not complaining. I am grateful for a pantry full of food. I'm just saying…. wouldn't it be nice?
In the mist of all the fun last week (actually it was on the first day of the fun), my wallet was stolen. It was such a shock and very alarming to look in my purse and discover it missing. I had the usual few minutes of thinking I had just misplaced it in the house, but after retracing my steps I knew it had been stolen. Okay, misplaced first and then stolen. I had taken fourteen kids to the movie which involved several openings and closings of my purse. Apparently my wallet did not make it back in my purse on one of those visits. I discovered the "lost" wallet after we returned to the house. We called the police and were told that if the credit cards were not used in a day's time that would mean the thief had taken the cash and tossed the rest in the garbage somewhere, never to be found. Sure enough, after one day, none of my cards had been used. I am grateful for that, but it sure has been a hassle canceling cards and getting a new driver's license, Sam's card, Insurance cards and credit cards. Other wallet-type things like business cards, grandkid's school photos, one taco soup recipe, a hidden tube of lipstick and mirror, that piece of paper with three phone numbers of tennis players on it, and coins from England are also gone, never to be replaced.
As soon as I was certain the wallet would not be recovered the first order of business was to get a new driver's license. Of course I needed something to put it in so I purchased a new wallet and headed to the license bureau. It was a very simple process, I'm pleased to announce. They just pulled me up on the screen, took a new picture (which the grandkids say is better than the last one), took my $31.00, and handed me a new license. I was good to go. Next, I needed money. With no credit cards and no ATM card, I had to go old-school. I headed to a bank where someone knew me and went inside to cash a check. Now, I had one new wallet, empty except for one driver's license and some cash.
Through this whole process I was reminded of this verse in Matthew 6: "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."
I hope my grandkids saw me NOT hoarding my earthly treasures; instead working hard that my attitude and actions are God-honoring and Christ-reflecting. Having my wallet stolen was an inconvenience for sure, but dealing with it reinforced a few fruits of the spirits like patience, kindness, and self-control. These opportunities for spiritual growth are seldom welcomed, but definitely help plant our feet and our hearts where they need to be.
For this week, every time you take out your wallet, thank God for a different material blessing you have and pray for those less fortunate than you are. We live in a blessed nation where most of us have a roof over our heads and food on our tables, but are also in tough times economically and many are being challenged to live more fugally. As you put your wallet away, thank God for the spiritual blessings you have.
We serve a God who loves us and has promised to care for us. You may have an empty earthly wallet, but your forever wallet is stuffed so full of blessings it's overflowing.
Have a blessed week.
Hugs,
Chrys
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