Recently I received a check in the mail. I opened the envelope, and discovered the amount that was larger than I anticipated. “This is great!” I thought. “Now I have a little extra to shore up my savings.”
I reached for another envelope in the stack of mail. It was from the insurance company. Upon opening, I discovered that, after I deducted income taxes, the premium consumed the entire amount of my perceived surplus. “Bummer! Bummer! BUMMER!” I thought. For thirty seconds, I was richer than I thought. And then within a flash, the money disappeared.
Granted, I had anticipated the insurance bill and had budgeted to pay it. And a cold, hard math problem would reveal that I did have a bit of extra green for my wallet. But I still felt robbed. Then I realized that at least I had the money to pay the bill. Rather than being disappointed by a loss that really wasn’t a loss, I should have been grateful for God’s provision. I took a moment to enjoy His sense of humor (after all, He left me enough for taxes, too) — and His wisdom — in timing my mail so that I got the picture.
Readers of this blog know better than to buy into the myth that all writers have lots of money. Sometimes I have told authors that when they don’t get a contract right away, God works in other ways. Perhaps that old car will keep going another unexpected 50,000 miles. Or a monetary obligation won’t be a great as anticipated. Or the refrigerator won’t conk out — yet. When the contract does materialize, the advance may not be as great as we would like. Yet God provides. And in that sense we have been rich all along.
Your turn:
Where have you seen God’s provision in your life and career?
