A Quick Testimony

We've always been very blessed financially. We don't have gobs of loose cash, but we have more than enough to meet our needs and have some nice wants taken care of, too. We've always been faithful tithe payers and have tried to give a very generous fast offering. Sometimes, when you simply look at the number, it can seem like a lot of money to part with. However, the rich blessings that follow obedience to a principle are well worth the sacrifice.

There have been many examples of Heavenly Father's promise to pour out blessings to those who are obedient. Today, was one of those experiences for our family. As you know, the well has been an unexpected expense. We got the professional out here who charges $95 an hour. That can add up pretty quick. Because we try very hard not to carry any debt, we're very aware of the amount of actual cash in the checking account. Allen asks him for an estimate of sorts explaining we don't have lots of give this month. First, he says, he'll only charge $85 an hour. He looks at our well, drops a rock down in there and SPLASH! There's water. Yippee. He says it'll be $200 flat and he'll have us up and running within the week. (By the way, he adds, his fee to come out and put a new well is $750. Remember our estimate of $2000 that drove us to do it ourselves. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry.)

We feel really lucky that the amount is only $200. I head out to give a riding lesson to find out that a horse we've been trying to sell for about 6 months finally sold! This horse has a certain vice that lots of people don't want to put up with so he's been really hard to move. He's very valuable, but we had to drop the price by $2000 to finally get him off the feed bill. (For example, his daddy's stud fee alone was $15,000.) We've had all sorts of people try to jerk us around and waste our time. This last guy wasn't too promising, the horse hadn't been ridden in a month, but they worked perfectly together. He bought him outright. The commission: $200.

So, minus tithing, this unexpected gift pays for almost all of the work we'll need to get the well fixed. Considering we also chose to invest a few hundred dollars into paint, pictures and professional framing, this is a nice surprise and will make it just a little easier to stay true to our no debt goal.

I have a very strong testimony of the principle of tithing. It has never been a struggle for me to be obedient to this principle and I'm really grateful for that. We all have our own crosses to bear; this one isn't mine, though. We have been abundantly blessed, more so than we ever thought for ourselves. I had a friend say once, "Whatever Heavenly Father has planned for you is so much more than you could ever hope for yourself." That is completely true. He knows our needs, our wants, our hurts, loves and our true potential. He gives so much more than we expect and usually, than we really need. I'm grateful for this knowledge and to see his hand working in my own little life so often.