The Blessing of Necessary Expenses

October 28, 2016 It's all in your perspective. A hundred dollars leaves our hands with a light heart when spent on a vacation, a hobby, anything you enjoy. That same hundred spent on an unexpected necessity like a new furnace, a vehicle repair, or in our case, a new water line, is agonizing. What makes the difference? Simply, what we set our hearts on. Though the latter expenditures are necessities, the mere fact that they are necessities somehow sticks in our craw. Our hearts aren't in them. This has been an expensive summer and fall. When the village replaced its entire water system, we had to have a new water line put in. Lightning toasted the electronics on our washer and dryer, and in order to pass inspection, my truck needed new front brakes. Unfortunately, it has a bad design that requires the entire hub and bearings to be removed in order to fix the brakes, a five hour job. Needless to say, it is costing considerably more than the $25 inspection fee. Next week, I'll take the tractor in for a pre-winter servicing. Let's just say that the debit line of our budget has been quite a bit more active than the credit line. But it's all in our perspective. There was a time when expenses like this would have buried us. It's not fun spending money this way, but at least we have it to spend. We aren't having to max out a credit card or take out a loan. We have been blessed, and are grateful. And I don't regret for even one moment the money I spent on my bass, on treating the family to a Sight and Sound vacation, on this summer's mission trip to Cuba, or on our tithes and offerings. With the exception of my bass, these expenditures are for others, and bless us in the giving of them. I am grateful that these necessary expenses, while putting a dent in our bottom line, hasn't completely erased it. God continues to provide, and in that provision, I am content.