So much has happened. I have to tell someone. I just have to write it down. Because God is that good. Because it doesn’t make sense, in the most wonderful, amazing, absolutely beautiful way. And it’s not the first time in my life, I assure you. Because I recognize it, the hand of God I mean. When it reaches down, there’s no denying it, because it’s never late, it’s never harsh, and it always leaves amazing stories in it’s wake.

I never want to forget things like this. Stories like this should be told, to encourage others in the faith, and because God deserves every bit of the glory.

My husband Jonathan and I decided earlier this year in March to adopt a baby after months of praying, infertility, some challenges with M.S. and the affects it may or may not have on my body with pregnancy, and actually, quite a few other factors. We’ve always wanted to adopt, but just felt like now was the time. The way that we felt called to adopt is through an infant adoption, and it’s expensive. We decided that this was the best option for our family, as of course fostering is free and many kids need homes, but we were looking to have a relationship with not just a new baby, but also with the birth mother long-term. We see this as an amazing opportunity to show love to another hurting person, who obviously loves this child enough to give them up and is incredibly selfless. Obviously it’s a really expensive process, as in $20,000-$25,000 for most families. Crazy, I know. It was my biggest mental challenge to jump. How in the world would we even begin to pay for something like that on top of our other living expenses? But as we prayed about it, God just kept reassuring me and Jonathan both that it wasn’t about the money. God’s economy is so much different than ours, and we took the leap.

Along the way, we have had the most amazing blessings from friends and unexpected extremely generous gifts that we never could have imagined. We were so taken and so amazed at how God was providing almost instantaneously through our GoFundMe and other anonymous gifts. Wow, just wow. Thank you so much friends and family.

Fast foward a few weeks. We were feeling good about things, and could have paid for an adoption with the money we had been working side projects to save, some savings, and a few extra things we had done, like a garage sale and selling some things from our home.

Well, but see then our Mazda broke. Our sweet little car, that I am actually quite fond of, just bit the dust and started smoking one day. Since I’m not a man, I can’t tell you what broke, but it was ugly. We ended up replacing about 3 parts that I can’t pronounce for the tune of about $3K. Whoops. Oh well, we could make the money back, right?

Well, then about a month later, our AC went out, and the furnace with it. Literally we had to replace the WHOLE furnace and air conditioning unit. Friends, let me tell you, home ownership is usually pretty fun. Usually. Then there are times that it’s well, not. Like that day. Hey there $10K. Our adoption fund was just completely depleted. What now God? What are we going to do? The expenses for adoption are going to keep coming, and I honestly don’t have a plan to pay for this anymore. Help.

Then came yesterday. Our check engine light came on in our newest car, our Honda with about 70K miles on it, and it was shuttering like crazy. I started to get nervous, because it drove like it was running out of gas, but it wasn’t. Not good. Jonathan and I discussed it and decided that if Satan couldn’t attack our hearts, he was going to attack our bank account. Not to worry though, because hello, God is on our side, and we agreed it would be ok like it always has been in the past.

So this morning, we we took the car to the dealership. First of all,  it’s a HONDA. Honda’s don’t break, right? That is what EVERYONE says as far as the 150 million people I have ever talked to that own a Honda, and I believe it’s actually true, even though this happened. I own a Honda and I would still buy another one and recommend them…I think. Because I know the issue. It’s either me, or it’s me. 🙂 I have the worst luck with picking lemons. Our last car was such a money pit, and with this one, we have already replaced the whole computer at only 30K miles. What, people? What?! So we got a phone call today from Honda that the entire ENGINE had to be rebuilt. As in, it is going to take 3-4 weeks to REBUILD the whole thing in this car that we (-side note-) immaculately maintain. My first thought was, oh dear. Help. We can’t pay for that. We honestly can’t. God, what about the adoption. How in the world are we going to pay for that too? We already need to raise about $8,500 and now this.

For whatever reason, it didn’t make me as nervous as it probably should have when the nice Honda who has to make those horrible phone calls every day said that. I just thought to myself, well money is money. We’ll get through this. I have my family and goodness gracious they’re great! I don’t care about my car. I just care that we love each other, that we get to love a new baby soon, and somehow, I just know we’ll make it. We always have. God has never failed us. Never. He’s going to take care of us, I just know it. So Jonathan talks on the phone with Mike from Honda and this what he said, “Well, actually, I think Honda may pay for this. We have a program that I think will cover the entire cost of the repair. It’s an extensive job, so if you’re willing to wait 3-4 weeks for us to complete rebuild it, the cost would be free. Is that ok?”

Say again, Mike, what? Did you say free? Come on, Mike. Jonathan’s response was, “Mike, well I wish I could jump through the phone and hug you.” We told him about our adoption, about our AC, about our last car repair, and about how our hearts sank, and then how amazing that he thought to save the best for last. Way to go, Mikey boy. The first thing I thought? God, if you’re for us, who can be against us? Wow, your economy Lord.

It’s true. It’s really true. I believe in the tithe, and I believe God honors us, and has always honored us for it. Test him. He says to test him. If you don’t already tithe to your local church, I sincerely challenge you to consider it, and see if he won’t throw open the doors of heaven and pour out blessing on you just like he says he will. Because I assure you, he will. I’ve seen it many times over. It’s not always in the form of money, sometimes it’s better. It comes in the form of what you truly need, and it always shows up just in time. The blessing you really need, whatever it is. And it’s more than you could even imagine. God’s economy is astounding, and someone out there just needs to be reminded of that. Trust him. God always comes through. My heart is full, and was reminded in a solid way today of his many many blessings that always always come in the most unexpected ways, from the most unexpected places.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10

Thank you Lord for Thursday. And thank you even more, for reminding me who’s in charge. You have today, and you have tomorrow. Life is but a breathe. Help me live it well!