Wealth

A few weeks ago I was on a mission.  After yelling at the three oldest kids...AGAIN....to pick up their messes I decided I needed a new plan or system to deal with all of the toys.  I have tried keeping a very large portion of them neatly tucked away in multiple bins in the garage while only allowing the ones that fit under their beds in.  I can spends days getting all those toys in a neat order in the various bins while they can spend only minutes destroying all my hard work to find that one toy that was tucked in the furthest bin at the very bottom.   

In addition to my growing aggravation with the piles and piles of toys (that I refuse to part with until I am done having babies) we were also in the very lengthy process of trying to get an accepted offer on our dream property.  Stress and emotions were kind of riding high in our house for awhile. I decided to call my mom one day at the last minute to have her watch the three oldest kids for a few hours so I could finally put my master plan into place for all those toys.  I needed to feel that I could have something under control and in order in my life.

My plan was simple.  Go to Target buy three more matching bins.  Come home.  Divide out every toy among seven bins.  Viola.  All done.  Something in my life now feels controlled and in order.  Goal accomplished.

If you didn't already know this....but God has a since of humor.  

Here is what actually happened:  Go to Target.  Two bins left no lids--damn.  Go to the big Walmart.  No bins at all--DAMMIT!  Head for home defeated.  Turn around half way home to head to the other  Target.  Yes, three bins PLUS lids--Awesome!  Head home hot, tired and now short on time to finish my task.  On the way home....witness a very simple fender bender. 

I was finally over the top with it all in life.  I broke down shaking with tears.  Why God?  Why are we faced with all these struggles? 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary wealth is defined as: abundance of valuable material possessions or resources.

You see....I think we are all raised on the idea that wealth equals money however the word money is never once used in the definition.  Instead the word abundance is.  By that word alone then I am rich. Rich in a way I wasn't able to appreciate until that day.

Before I made it to the next light I proverbially picked myself up and wiped off all the dust.  I was only looking at the surface of things.  I was crying because it was a pain in my butt to buy a few more matching bins.  I was crying because my kids have been showered with a great amount of toys for the last several years.  I was crying because we are trying to buy this dream property and it wasn't going to our plan.  I sounded like such a fool crying over those things!!!  

We are wealthy because God has given these wonderful things to us.  Things some other families don't get to fuss about.  Two months ago it would have never crossed my mind that we would be finding our dream property in a place I never considered and for amount I though we would never be able to afford, but can.  Our kids are very healthy.  My husband has a wonderful business that is growing year after year.

I will look to celebrate what we have and try not to worry about what God has planned for the things we want.  

 

 

Food for thought:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs  3:5-6