Last Blog Post of 2013

I know there are still a few days left in 2013 but this is probably going to be my last post for this year.  This weekend the kids get here and I am off until after the New Year to spend time with my family.

It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone. It seems like yesterday it was January 1, 2013 and now it's almost over. But that brings us  a fresh new year and new opportunities to be better than we were last year, have more fun, spend more time with family, learn new lessons and try new things. 

I am looking forward to the New Year, sure there is a little apprehension because the economy doesn't seem to be getting much better, and there are always uncertainties about what the future holds.  I think God blesses us when he doesn't allow us to see the future. Some things we can always be sure of are, there will be sorrow, there will be joy, there will be hard times, there will be good times and He will be there through them all.

I hope you all have the Merriest Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mae 

Prayer Before Shopping

Have you ever prayed before grocery shopping? My sister-in-law recently asked me about praying before grocery shopping and I had to tell her I had gotten out of the habit but I used to always pray before I went in the grocery store.  That when I did pray before grocery shopping it seemed as if there were bargains there just waiting for me to come along and spot them. And it even seemed that I got better parking spots when I prayed before grocery shopping.  Maybe all this is just my imagination but I can tell you that now I am going over budget more than I did when I prayed before shopping. I am not as disciplined about using my coupons and am just spending too much money. 

Now I know you may think the Lord is too busy to care about your grocery shopping, or that it's silly to pray about something so ordinary as grocery shopping.  I think the Lord does care about even the small things. He expects us to be good stewards of everything he has given us and that would include the money in the grocery budget.  He is waiting to bless us and we just ignore Him and the awesome power He has.

If you have read my blog, you know that I don't make New Year's resolutions and it's too early for those anyway, but my goal for the New Year is to be more mindful before I go grocery shopping and PRAY.  I never said a really long prayer, I usually just thanked God for the money I had to spend on groceries and asked Him to help me stay in the budget while meeting the needs of my family.

The Bible says in Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  To me this means I can feel free to ask for help when I go grocery shopping.  And I am not going to wait until the new year to start. Never a better time than the present.

Have a great day!
Mae