Goodness Under Pressure

I'm committed to putting down in writing the big, small, significant [or seemingly insignificant] things God does in my life as they happen [or have happened] because I want to remember - need to reminded of - ALL the ways He takes care of me and shows me His inherent Goodness.

Yesterday, after picking the kids up from school, we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things. Things are TIGHT right now, so I turned this unexpected "field trip" into a teaching moment. Instead of me making all the decisions and them tagging along for the ride, I had the kids pitch in with ideas for meals that would feed us [some days the 4 of us, some days the 6 of us] for the week, right up through Sunday night when we take the girls back to their Mommy's house.

We had "this much" money to spend, and no more, so this became our challenge. Zigzagging through the store, we were on a search for any items on sale. 45 minutes later, the basket held our food for the week... almost. As we went through the items and the meal plans for each day, it quickly became clear that we were one day short. We didn't have a meal for Wednesday.

Teighlor showed me a coupon for chicken breasts packs - Buy One, Get Two Free - so over to the meat department we trekked. It turns out they were still packing, wrapping and labeling the chicken and wouldn't have any available for another 15 minutes. I was done shopping and was feeling icky from a day of all caffeine and no food, so I passed on the chicken and decided to head home without Wednesday's dinner.

Fast forward a couple hours and we get a call from Anthony's Mom. She's in Dallas a few days every week educating hospital staff on the ins and outs of a computer program she's used for years, so we've had the good fortune of getting a visit from her on a weekly basis. With baseball practice in full swing, the only night we have available for her to come over is Wednesday. Before my brain could go into panic mode upon remembering that it's the ONLY night for which I didn't grocery shop, she joyfully shares with us that she would love to cook for us, and she'll be bringing all the necessary items with her.

Mom is treating us. Dinner is now covered. God steered me away from spending money [I really didn't have to waste] on a dinner He had every intention of providing.

This morning I read a devotion about recognizing God's goodness in times of immense pressure; acknowledging the acts of kindness that flow from God's heart to us through the people He chooses on any given day.

This act is not going unnoticed. I see the intentionality of every part of this, and I declare the Goodness of my Father in Heaven!

Thank You, Jehovah-Jireh, for showing me Your faithfulness!