Giving Thanks 2010 Revisiting 2009 and Continuing / Thanksgiving

What I wrote in 2009 is at THIS LINK.

5. I am thankful that my husband is able to provide for our family through his job and his decision to keep a rental house.

Updated November 5, 2012:

My husband has worked for the same company for the last 13 years.  God protected his job during the massive layoffs that they had earlier in the year.  He did not even need to take a cut in pay as many of our friends have had to do.  His income is the primary source for our family.  I manage it well and stretch it to the max each month.  I have not worked out of the home since our sons were born  23+ years ago.   My home businesses provide the "extras" for our family.    Thank you, Lord.

As you may know, we own a rental house in Orlando.  It was my husband's childhood home which we renovated in 2004.   There is no mortgage  on it so that is provision #1 and we have been so blessed in that way.  I wanted to sell it a few years ago for maximum profits but my husband wanted to keep it.  [We go back and forth over this issue ever year.]  It took a year to clean it out  and renovate and has been leased ever since by excellent tenants each time.

Even though there is no mortgage we have come to depend on the rental income as a buffer for maintenance expenses here and there, property taxes for it as well as unforeseen expenses--3 hurricanes, 2 tropical storms (with fallen trees during each), and car repairs to name a few.    The extra income also allows me to work  part-time at  home  rather than working outside the home.  It has also kept us out of consumer debt except for our home mortgage which is always a blessing in my estimation.  It seems that my husband's decision was a wise one.  

When the most recent tenants informed us that they were moving out at the first of October we were shocked and I was a bit dismayed.  I knew it would be tight without the rental income for the rest of this year so I was cutting WAY back on all expenses, which I generally do anyway as a rule.   There was some damage and more $$ spent on repairs.   Fear started creeping in on me...my biggest one being leaving my kids at home to go back to work.

My husband trusts me completely with our finances and I handle it all--paying bills, saving, giving...  When it would come time to pay our bills which I do every Wednesday or Thursday (you know how I do my accrual method for large bills), I would grimace, but faithfully write our church tithe check each week.  As I would write it, I could almost hear the Evil One say  this will cover the gap that you need if you just hold it back and don't give this week. You'll have enough if you hold on to it for the rest of the month.   I would literally have to just write the check, put it in our usual place for giving and get back to other things.  After two weeks of this, I got  better about it but was still anxious at times.    I went ahead and wrote our additional giving to missionaries and charitable organizations which I do at the end of each month, thinking OK, Lord, I trust you to provide for us.   I won't be afraid.

Long story short, we spent four weeks getting the house ready to re-rent and the afternoon after the final detailed cleaning, we put the For Rent sign up.  Before we even got home our son called and said someone had already called about the house.  We had 10 callers within two days and it was rented that second day to a man who was leasing it for his mother.  PLUS we had three people contact us that they were interested in buying it...maybe next year.

For me, this was another lesson in God providing for us miraculously as well as showing me that even things don't look like they have a purpose or that things might not go as I planned, He has a much better plan--not the least of which is to teach me to trust Him more.   Like a good Father, He comforted my fears as well.  It was also a lesson in faithfulness--God is always faithful and wants us to be like Him in that way, too.   

When Bob and I were on our honeymoon, some 25 years ago, a wise man who owned one of the B & B's where we stayed told us a long story about tithing  throughout his marriage and encouraged us to always do so, even when it hurts.  Not the thing you usually hear from someone during your honeymoon, is it?  Well, we took it to heart and just hearing it from him, in such an odd place and time in our lives, we have always done so--10% off the gross income as well as an additional amount each month to a different ministry.   Now, it's as much a part of life as anything else could be.  If it is not a part of yours, step out in faith and watch and see what God will do.    We have always had enough...