22. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

It has been 20 days since my last post.  Nearly a month has gone by and I am already seeing the fruits that come from being on a budget!  Honestly I didn't really think that I would see them until a few years from now, after things were gradually being paid off.  But God is so amazing that He is blessing us even now.
After only a couple of weeks, the efforts we are making to honor the Lord in our finances are being rewarded in small but significant ways!  And that is a thing that can only come from His almighty grace.

In Proverbs 31:22 our Lady is reaping the benefits of good stewardship in a similar way.  All throughout the chapter we have seen the ways in which she works hard to esteem those in her household; money management, making clothes and garments, investing in real estate, gardening, etc.  This verse points out that the "fine linen and purple" are expensive evidences of ways that God has blessed her in His grace and lovingkindness.

Cody and I hit up a few after-Christmas sales in Albuquerque on Sunday.  I was telling him  that I felt humility in a good way...  For Christmas I received some wonderful things that I had been wanting, and that I could really use but had put out of my mind because of our budget.   We're talking things that weren't necessarily needs, just things I had decided not go get for myself because I am trying to watch my spending.  I used to worry about finding a means to get said things, but God has put a change in me that only He can take credit for.  I feel so humbled by the fact that my King made a way for me to get these things anyway...  He loves me so much to the point that I am down on my hands and knees in undeserving gratitude.

I guess I am just here to report the awesome things God is doing.  He doesn't hesitate to show his approval.  And the biggest thing I can see is that the changes toward money have come from my heart.  I see now how badly I was deceiving myself, and how poor a job I really was doing.  My Heavenly Father knows the things I need, and even just things I want.  He supplies the birds of the air with food, and clothes the flowers of the field with a splendor that cannot be bought...

This is a fairly short post I noticed, but I'm grateful for that.  Sometimes the best things come in small packages.  Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

I close now with this prayer.
Scripture is being fulfilled in my life right now...  May I remain steadfast in this new attitude, and may I continually bless my Lord with good stewardship.

Have a blessed and Happy New Year!

CW