Thoughts. Money. Trust. Jesus. =)

Money. The root of all evil. The number one cause of discord in marriages. The largest cause of stress at any given time. My basest instinct is to say that I hate money. I wish money didn't exist. But in reality that would solve nothing. Even before money was around there's always been some form of currency. And way back when, before money, farmers with bad crops stressed because that meant they had little or no currency with which to by the necessary items for every day life. No, eliminating money altogether would solve nothing. So what do we do? In tough economic times, it seems that everyone is touched by money or rather the lack of money. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I just finished listening to my parents discuss our family's financial situation. Needless to say it's not good. It made me think... what would I do in their situation? What is the best thing to do? I have never owned my own home or had to provide for a family or anything even close. I bought my own car and paid it off, but that's the largest expense I've ever had. I live at home. I am relatively untouched by the whole money situation. My biggest stress in that area is how to pay for college. Anyways, what I keep coming back to is God. Obviously, it sounds so cliche to say, but it's true. When my dad lost his job God took care of us. I could list all the ways He's taken care of us but that would take too long. It would take even longer to go over how God has taken care of me personally. When it comes down to it, I'm learning, though admittedly it's very hard, I'm learning that trusting God truly is the best way. Sometimes it doesn't make sense, often times trusting God may look foolish to the world, but He always works everything out. I pray that in my walk with the Lord I learn to trust Him through every circumstance, no matter how difficult it may seem. The way I see it, my problems are similar to a small pebble. When I hold that pebble up to my face, it appears huge and it blocks my vision of almost everything else. When I move the pebble back, or take a step away from it, I see it for what it truly is, just a small pebble. In reality, a small pebble is more of an annoyance than anything else. If I give it to God and let Him take care of it, though it may not go away, it won't seem so big anymore.

God, please help me to learn this lesson, even as I share it with others. Please reveal to my parents how much you've taken care of them already and how you will continue to do so. Calm their hearts and help them to look to you for strength and guidance. I also ask for guidance. I have a lot of big decisions to make in the near future, decisions that will impact my future. Help me to make the right choices. Help me to follow the path you have set for me, even if it doesn't make sense. Thank you, Jesus for your unfailing love and that you are trustworthy in a world that doesn't understand what trust even means. Love, Jessie