Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

8.18.11 V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

After my last blog post about my quest to manage Dad’s finances, I heard from many of you that you have been praying for me and my Dad.  Your prayers are being heard.  God is showing up in the midst of my quagmire!  It seemed appropriate to dedicate a post to brag on God and the victories He has brought so far because of your prayers: 

1.   I was able to file claims on Dad’s two hospital indemnity plans.  By God’s grace, I managed to file them three days before the deadline.  Within two weeks we received a reimbursement check for $2,334.  The second insurance carrier sent me two checks today totaling $6,688.  This is enough to pay off at least two of Dad’s credit cards.  Ka-Ching!  Thank you, Lord. 

2.   My Dad had a 900-minute cellphone plan when he averaged only 550 minutes per month.  Changing his plan to mirror his usage translated to a savings of $50/month.  Ka-Ching!  Thank you, Lord. 

3.   Dad’s military insurance company (USAA) was deducting $88.52/month for “Property & Casualty.” Upon further investigation I discovered it was a bundled premium comprised of an umbrella policy, an auto policy, and renters insurance.  Dad hasn’t driven a car for over two years because he is not medically able. He lives in a small assisted living apartment with very old, 4-drawer lateral files, an old desk, and a bed/chest of drawers. We don’t need renters insurance. I cancelled these policies, saving Dad an additional $89/month.  Ka-Ching!  Thank you, Lord. 

4.   I called USAA because Dad was being charged for auto insurance while he hasn’t been driving.  I explained that he was on painkillers for his open ulcers, which made it unsafe for him to drive.  Though it is ultimately Dad’s responsibility to notify USAA that he would no longer be driving a car, his memory was not functioning because he was so drugged up.  Dad was just not in a position to recognize that he was still paying auto insurance when the premium was blended in with two other policies.  Since Dad has given USAA business for many years, USAA was willing to work with me.  With a note from his physician vouching for his inability to drive, USAA issued a credit of $718.  Ka-Ching!  Thank you, Lord. 

5.   Getting Dad enrolled in the VA medical system for free care is a top priority.  Especially when the day comes when he will most likely need around-the-clock care.  I needed to complete a VA enrollment application, but that task seemed overwhelming given that I had no idea how to get started.  It was no coincidence that God placed in my Sunday School Class a woman who is a VA trained peer counselor and knew all about the enrollment process!  She was a tremendous help, and because of her assistance, I completed Dad’s application with the right military paperwork to send off to the VA by August 4th.  That was a victory in my book.  Thank you, Lord, for how you raised up the right person to assist me and for helping Dad find his Discharge Summary in his file. Would you please pray that God would grant my Dad favor in the eyes of the VA to receive an acceptance letter? (Potential Ka-Ching!) 

6.   I discovered Dad was paying $22/month for backup services for his computer files, when he had already subscribed to a three-year, online backup service.  He just didn’t remember having done that.  Thus, I got to cancel $22/month for additional savings to the bottom line.  Ka-Ching!  Thank you, Lord.

7.   Remember all of his charitable giving via credit cards and his bank account that I had to unhook?  That was a savings of $650/month.  Ka-Ching!  Thank you, Lord. 

8.   Dad is a big believer in tithing to the Lord.  I am too.  It is not an option to not tithe!  It’s a victory to be able to write the Lord a “thank you note” for His provisions and not be in the red. 

God hears the prayers of His children, and so I am sharing these victories with you!  These victories are ours, not mine alone.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many prayer warriors.   Matthew 18:19-20 gives us Jesus’ promise, “I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”  God has honored our prayers that have been uttered in agreement.  But there are still unresolved issues that are deeper than saving money.  I will be sharing the more difficult issues in my next post. 

Blessings,

Lee Ann

2.7.11 Giving: What’s Really at Stake

I am faced with a most interesting tension around giving, and I bet I am not alone.  I wholeheartedly believe that when people approach us who are in need and ask us to help, we are to give without judging them (Luke 6:37).  Why?  Because Jesus says “He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36 ).  Jesus teaches that we are to even lend to our enemies without expecting to get anything back.  (Luke 6:35) 

When I look at the Scripture around this principle of giving, I don’t see anywhere in the Scripture that I have a role to assess the real level of need when a person asks for help.  I think of the panhandlers I see daily.  They are asking for help, but they obviously had enough resources available to get them to the corner on which they stand.  Some are likely receiving disability checks, have some form of housing, and can find meals at soup kitchens.  So exactly how much “in need” are they?  I don’t know, and I don’t think it really matters.  I still think that Jesus teaches us to give out of a spirit of kindness and mercy – not out of a spirit of  judgment.   On the other hand, the Bible clearly teaches that we are to be good stewards of His resources.  So how panhandlers are handling what they receive does matter to God.  In fact , we will all give an account some day for how we handled His resources. 

The tension I am facing is that the request is coming from someone I know, and I have watched some of the spending habits of this person, and I am having to fight the urge to judge.  Have you ever been in this position?  Do you think a person who is asking for financial assistance should be accountable for how they spend money if they are going to be receiving help on a regular basis?  Should we be asking a person to “prove” they are short on money before we honor a request?   My head says, “Absolutely”, but my heart says, “No.  The Lord will hold all persons accountable for how they stewarded His dollars, and it is not my place to be the judge.”  

I keep vascillating between being given the privilege to give and being frustrated knowing that I may very well be enabling some poor spending habits or decisions.  And by enabling another and seeing some unnecessary spending, can I guard my heart well enough to prevent possible resentment?  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Whatever I decide to do has to be settled in my heart because I don’t want the joy of my salvation and my walk with Christ to be eroded by a monthly check being given because someone asked for help.  2 Cor 9:7 says that when we give, we should give with a cheerful heart.  Cheer or joy should be the default setting of our heart when we give.  

I am landing on just giving and not judging someone’s perceived need for assistance.  Do I want to see the bank statements and credit card statements? Yep.  Do I want to see the person  demonstrate sacrificing some current expenses that can be eliminated from their current spending patterns? Yep.  Do I want them to be accountable to me on a regular basis? Yep.  Do I want them to demonstrate that they have exhausted their income sources first before asking for help? Yep.  Am I going to press for any of these logical requests? Nope.  Here’s why.  

There is too much at stake before the Lord that has nothing to do with the amount of money being requested.  What’s at stake is my heart.  The Lord can use this situation as an opportunity to mold my heart to be more like His.  It’s the decision to give with a spirit of kindness and mercy, which is more like Him.  It’s a decision to love unconditionally, which is more like Him.  It’s a decision to allow this opportunity to grow my heart toward being a more generous giver, which is more like Him.  It’s a decision to give with joy without expecting anything in return, which is more like Him.  It’s also a decision to trust Jesus at his Word.  Jesus gives me a promise in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  I either believe this to be true or I don’t.  I will tell you that I not only trust Him at His word, but I rest on this promise on a regular basis in the area of giving.  I can tell you that I cannot outgive Him.  When I give, there is only a temporary reduction in the checkbook, but it never fails that the Lord pours blessings into my lap when I least expect it.  It is truly an amazing experience to trust Him and risk with Him in the area of giving.  

The Lord’s message is to not worry about judging another’s financial situation and their stewarding abilities.  The judging role belongs exclusively to the Lord.  We weren’t invited to be on His panel.  But we have been invited to give His resources.  I bet those of you who have already given in situations like this look back without any regrets.  I believe the Lord’s message to us is “I understand the tensions you feel with this, but I will reward it.  Just trust me.”  If we will just trust Him in this matter, then the joy of giving will be there, and our heart will be free from any potential resentment.  I am going to say “yes” because I am to give to anyone who asks and trust the Lord to help my heart to be more like His. 

Blessings,

Lee Ann

11.12.10 Robbing God His Due

How many times as kids did we receive a gift, only to be prompted by our parents’ with, “What do you say?”,  which was our cue to say, “Thank you!”  My parents coaching became more sophisticated when I was a teenager,  especially at Christmas.  We were not allowed to open gifts until a notepad and pen were in insight, and we were prepared to write down who gave us the gifts.  In the days following Christmas I often heard, “Have you written your thank you notes yet?”  I thought I was being badgered, but with 20/20 hindsight, I see my parents were training me on the importance of saying “thank you”. 

As an adult I appreciate this training.  I understand that no gift should be taken for granted, and saying “thank you” supports this basic truth.  From the vantage point of the one giving the gifts, I now understand why my parents pushed me to write “thank you” notes.  Givers desire acknowledgement.  They want to know their gift brought joy and gladness!  The joy of giving is intense for me.  I have no words in my vocabulary to describe that feeling.  But I have discovered a weakness in my flesh.  When I don’t get a thank you, my heart feels  discouragement that robs me of the joy of giving.  How do I get over this discouragement? 

Recently,  I was doing my daily reading in Scripture, which happened to be 2 Cor 9, Paul’s message on the Macedonians’ giving. While reading the following passage, the Spirit showed me the answer to my question: 

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
   “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
      his righteousness endures forever.”[a]

10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (Hmmm…it doesn’t say “thanksgiving to Lee Ann”)  12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (Hmmm…is this a typo?  It doesn’t say “thanks to Lee Ann”) 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God (It doesn’t say “praise Lee Ann”) for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

This reading brought instant clarity as to why I feel discouragement.  I desire a thank you.  I want people whom God has led me to bless to acknowledge what He’s doing in their life.  I want to hear their joy about these blessings!  I am not opposed to God being thanked, but I at least want some of it to go to me – which is SO WRONG according to the Scripture above.  The fact is my discouragement was unwittingly self-induced by looking for the wrong outcome.  Now that my perspective is correct, I not only lost the feeling of discouragement, but I lost my desire to hear a “thank you”. 

The lesson is obvious:  it is not about me and never will be, and everything that I say and do should only be for His glory and honor.  If my investment of time, energy, and resources given through a variety of ministries causes others to give “overflowing expressions of thanks to God” and leads others to “praise God” because of sharing His gifting and resources with others, then everything has happened according to God’s plan.  Thus, to even desire a “thank you” from anyone is to rob God of the “thank you” He deserves since He is the real Giver. He is the only reason I have anything to give in the first place!  I am just His conduit to be a blessing to others, so the thank you should ALWAYS go to Him.  I’m a slow learner as it has taken me 50 years to figure this out, but I think I am finally getting it.

Blessings,

Lee Ann