Spending Month: Day 24

I do this thing on my week break each month in between fasting periods.  Whatever I have just finished fasting, I go completely overboard. For example: media month- there was probably some sort of electronic device on for the entire 24 hour period following the “no technology” month, food month- after only meat, fruits and veggies for a month… I indulged in pizza and ice cream right off the bat… totally threw up, clothing month… probably wore a different piece of clothing everyday for a week… and lots of jewelry…you get the idea. Things I have deprived myself of I over indulge in, regret it, then scale back to something that is manageable (taking into account the things I learned during the previous month’s fast).  I don’t know why, but I seem to do it every month. 

I also tend to spend almost the first full week of every fast completely committing myself to following the rules, which in turn makes me loose track of the purpose. Again, I have to gather myself, refocus, and remember the purpose for each fasting experience… it’s not just about following the rules. 

This month got to be a combination of the two evils combined. I was very overwhelmed at the thought of my limitations of places to shop, that apparently I thought I needed to be at one of those three stores every single day. Sad, but true(and completely embarrassing) in the first 14 days of the fast, I was at one of my three stores (Aldi, Save-a-lot, or Walmart) 13 of those days! Yes… I just said I spent money 13 out of 14 days of a spending fast… ridiculous, I know! I didn’t need to do it,  I didn’t even spend an excess amount of money, I just freaked out about only spending in three locations, so I went overboard and did it every day. This completely defeated the purpose (knowing where I spend my money and being a good steward of it), so I put myself in Walmart Rehab. No store going unless completely necessary. I am proud to say that in the last 10 days I have only been to the store twice, and one of those was just to grab a drink! 

All it took was a little planning and less freaking out. I needed to look at the big picture.  This happens to me all the time in life… freaking out about the here and now and not looking at the big picture. God is the Almighty Man with a plan in place… we just need to slow down, stop sweating the small stuff, and refocus on the big picture… Love God. Love each other.  That’s it… plain and simple. 

One of my favorite verses of all time: Jerimiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

God knows the plan, and He got a good one. I may not understand all the details along the way, but He has a reason for everything. So I’m going to stop freaking out and sweating the small stuff… because there is a bigger picture, even if I can’t see it right now. So I will try my best to keep it simple… Love God. Love other people. And leave the details in the plan up to Him. 

Thanks for joining me on the journey!