Getting Past Tax Season...

In the past several months, Shelly and I have shared in hearing so many stories from older couples; how they began with so little, persevered through the hard times, and were able to make a good life for themselves. Though we have no clue as to what may come in the times ahead, Shelly and I are finally at a place where we are embracing, with gratitude, a season of having very little, persevering through some hard times, and hoping that some day, we too will be sitting around a dinner table on a Sunday afternoon, looking back on our story with the same twinkle in our eyes, the same half-cocked smile, that we have seen so often.
A couple of weeks ago, we found out on a Sunday night exactly what we owed in taxes for 2008. Being self-employed all last year, and Shelly not being taxed on any of her tips, we were confronted with a figure due to the government which was far greater than what we had to our names. We made a decision to trust the Lord, recognizing Him as our provider, believing He had not led us to Montana to simply fall on our faces. Monday morning, we had to pay what was due for the month in utilities, bills, and groceries...more than we had expected. Yet, once again, we chose to trust that no matter what, the Lord would take care of us. With a blizzard raging outside, I was called off of work for the first snow day of the year ("snow day" is not a term commonly understood by Montanans)...less money in the paycheck. We trusted the Lord. An hour later, Shelly received a completely unexpected phone call from Wells Fargo, asking her if she wanted a job! The paychecks became just enough to cover the taxes.

We can explain pivotal moments in our lives away as simply coincidences, or just plain"luck." I just can't do it. There are too many coincidences, too many times when things shouldn't work out, but do. I cannot deny the intimate, loving acts of God in my life. Sure, we suffer. Sure, things can be harsh, even vile in this world. Even though I just don't understand why bad things happen, I know that the Lord works all things for good for those who love Him. "Good" has a different definition to Him, but it is in those mountaintop experiences in our lives where we have some time to stand in awe of how there wouldn't be mountaintops without the valleys, the falling rain, the depths of disparity. We could easily move on to the next valleys, the next source of worry and anxiety. But I hope I don't. I hope I get it through my thick skull that if what I believe is really real, then God will take care of all of us no matter what...for He is slow to anger, quick to mercy, and ABOUNDING in Love. May we all find a little more joy as Spring comes, knowing that all of it, all of life, is meant for learning about who God is, and longing to know Him more as we see His love for us beyond the fallenness of this world.