Thankful for our Daily Bread

Before John and I were even married, we talked a lot about being good stewards of the financial resources God has entrusted us with. Over the years life has changed and we have tweaked our budget here and there, but we have tried to live a simple life in order to have the freedom to give back to God as He calls us.

This past month, we made some necessary purchases and some unwise purchases that lead to a lack of money in the grocery/household account when we were only two weeks into the month! I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to stick to the budget, but I tried to be optimistic. We had quite a few things in the freezer and our pantry was well stocked. I had to be a bit more creative with meal planning and we had simpler dinners...but here we are at the end of the month and our budget will be reset tomorrow!

While I am extremely thankful that we will soon be able to go shopping again, I have to admit that the past few days has given me a new appreciation to the Lord's prayer - specifically the part about how God gives us our daily bread. I realized as I read Sariah's baby bible this week that it is so much harder to be thankful when we have plenty. Actually, I am not sure if it is harder to be thankful or if it is just easier to forget to be thankful. I have always been thankful for the food we are blessed with because I have seen true hunger. I praise God every time I come home from a trip to Costco with a box full of milk, cheese, bananas, beans, etc. However, I felt more thankful this week than I have in a long time. This week I was also able to be very specific in my prayers: "Thank you, God, for this package of smoked salmon and the four tomatoes I will use to make pasta sauce." As the end of the month approached we had less and less meal options and I became more and more thankful for every meal.

From here on, I want to live a more thankful life! I don't want to only think about the blessings God has showered upon us during Thanksgiving. I want to be thankful when we have plenty and when we don't. Praise God for his provision!