Y’all. Those who know me well know that I am a planner. I budget and I plan, that’s how I roll.

As a believer, I know that plans don’t work out all the time (rarely they do…) – either at all, or the way we anticipate them. Some things just aren’t in His plans or He fulfills them slightly different than we would. In the end, things work out for His glory, however that looks like on our side and in our perspective.

As a planner, I’ve experienced these moments a lot in my life. I’ve beat myself up (mentally… not physically) over such things many of times because why couldn’t you do this or that and how could you let this happen???

That’s not fair to me and I shouldn’t carry that around – it’s not healthy and it’s not necessarily (always) my fault things don’t work out – my plans gave me hope in the wrong place.

Right before the new year I made a budget for the whole year of 2021. I enter a lower income into each expected pay date and then into each month’s expected bills I put in an amount I hope it’ll be at or under and work from there. It helps me live within my means and pay everything off each month.

This year though was coming with extra stuff I didn’t want to have to pay for. Soon I’ll need brakes (and maybe more – like rotors?? Hope not though.) and an oil change for my car which is not cheap. Throw in some actual unexpected things that are bound to happen and suddenly I was living in a nightmare and filled with doubts – how was I going to make this work??

I didn’t have this included in my budget, really… obviously. Because it wouldn’t fit.

Alright, fine, I’ll figure it out.

How am I going to make this work?

I don’t want to use any more savings.

I am so shook.

If I have to use savings, that’s just how it goes. That’s what it’s there for. An emergency fund.

I’m not okay with using savings though – it happens but I don’t have to like it.

Just days after starting this budget process, I was given the opportunity for overtime at my full-time job. I’ve never been given this opportunity while working for this company so I took all the OT I could get. It’s not like I had anything else to do anyway just working from home and whatnot. Two days with OT is what I ended up being given.

What a blessing that was! That will help me pay for these things I need for sure.

Once more, God showed me His provision. He showed me that my worries are for nothing. My anxieties are silly compared to the sovereignty He shows in my circumstances.

Alright, just when I was hyped and pumped that God would align all of this to give me this boost…

I was offered that position I mentioned previously. After waiting months to hear back, the time had come! This was a promotion with a salary increase. I literally had nothing to fret over at all. God took complete control and covered me.

I’ve gotten teared up thinking about it a few times over the past few days. Like I have gone through this kind of thing a few times the past few years. Being financially stable is just something I strive for and I get worked up about not being able to do things I want to do or not saving enough here and there. Just stop.

I’m so, so grateful for God’s grace and His ever present provision in my life. I love knowing that God is intimately involved in every aspect of life and so in tune with what I personally need assurance in.

I look forward to what other things God reminds me of this year, what new things He shows me and what He has planned for me in my new role at work.

It all works together for His glory.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1