Friday Thoughts

Good Friday to you! I still seem to have writer's block, so I've stayed off the computer quite a bit lately. Daily life is getting a bit harder as I get bigger and more uncomfortable (32 weeks pregnant). Sitting at the computer seems much less appealing.

The election is still occupying my thoughts. Tonight I learned that the 43% of Americans who have no tax liability will get $500 per individual or $1000 per couple, under Obama's income redistribution plan. This drastically differs from another quote I heard of up to $10,000 per non-tax-paying family. It is all very confusing, but at any rate I still feel strongly that the money should remain in the hands of the entrepreneurs. I think they stimulate and grow the economy in a much broader way than mere consumers do, by providing NEW jobs.

Also, I heard that the stimulus package that went out earlier this year was mostly used to pay down personal debt. My guess is that the same thing might happen to a good portion of the money Obama plans to give to low-income Americans. It's doubtful that it will pay for much more than food or bills. And, there are already tax credits/policies in place that allow low-income working families to get a check every tax season (earned income credit, additional-child tax credit, to name a couple). We are treated more than fairly, by any standards.

I'm still horrified at Obama's views on Supreme Court Justices and on abortion. I've been praying for the best case scenario for the unborn.

My blood pressure is down somewhat. What an answer to prayer! I'm not on bedrest, thankfully. The higher, scarier numbers, like 153/96, seem to come mostly in the morning or late at night. Not sure why that is, but since they are not consistently that high, bedrest isn't necessary. The rule is that they have to be higher than 140/90 for at least two readings taken 6 hours apart.

I ran across a National Poverty Level table the other day and learned that we are higher than I thought, at least for now. More like 133% of the level for a family of five. Don is currently working 6 hours of overtime on both Saturday and Sunday. And believe me, he doesn't consider it a hardship. Getting away from the noisy clan here at home is relaxation for him. LOL I think the breaks away from the chaos allow him to give himself more fully to the family, when he is here. I don't know if that will make sense to you, unless you have a few young, noisy kids at home to contend with.

A church uses the school gym on Sundays through December, and Kiwanis basketball uses it on Saturdays through mid-January. We're praying that another organization will sign up to use the school gym after that, since that weekend (time-and-a-half) pay ends up being much more than he would earn from any other second job.

Sadly, jobs are still very scarce here in Ohio. While we're somewhat worried about what will happen after January (we can't survive without overtime), we're always cognizant that the Lord has come through each and every time we've been in need. It is always exciting to witness the myriad of ways he blesses and provides - sometimes at the very last minute - which makes for some high drama. His provision for us rarely matches the world's standards, in terms of wealth, but it always ends up being just what we need. The fit is always perfect. Sometimes not having a surplus can be more of a blessing than having one. Perhaps there is a season for both, precisely so that we learn what really matters to God. I marvel at how much I've learned during these past three lean years, and I suspect there's still more to learn. I guess we're not particularly quick studies, when it comes to spiritual lessons. LOL

Most importantly, I've learned that we can never bless ourselves in ways that even come close to what he can do on a daily basis, IF we will get out of the way and let him lead. When you really think about it, it's so silly that we overwhelm ourselves by scrambling around trying to solve everything. Living that way just means we have that much less energy to really connect with God and really discern what HIS will is. Whatever our part might be, he will make it clear and then give us the wisdom and strength to go forward as he desires.

I don't know where you are tonight or what you are facing, but try letting go more, especially if times are tough for you in some way. Are you in the passenger seat, or have you been insisting on driving?

God Bless You!