I needed some money for food and stuff.
I looked into my "impressive" checking account into which my pay gets automatically deposited and saw $2.63 in it and my account for spending had .93 cents in it (which was an improvement from the .84 cents that was in it at another point.) I had some plans to make a trip to go visit a Jewish friend in another state for the week of my birthday that was coming up.
However, the responsible choice to pay off some necessary expenses along with buying groceries seemed to cut closer than I had previously planned for so I didn’t have as much when the time came as I had thought I would. Needless to say, to my disappointment, I wasn’t going to go anywhere soon or see my friend, as I didn’t have an amount to comfortably do anything like that, even after my next paycheck.
But although I didn’t feel I had quite enough to do what I wanted for my birthday, even after I got another paycheck, I did have enough to give something to God. I donated $200.00 to Beth-El Shalom and I tried to make the best of my birthday. I didn’t have a party or see friends, but I attempted to at least make myself a cake. However it didn’t turn out well. Although I really like cake, its appearance was bad enough for me to not even bother trying to eat it after it came out of the oven. I didn’t get any birthday cards, but someone gave me a nice scarf beforehand. I don’t normally mind not doing much for my birthday but on that birthday I was pretty disappointed actually, because the time I took off work just seemed to be a reminder of how lacking things were compared to what I wanted it to be and how lonely I was.
When I returned to work the next week, I was still feeling a bit down over my failed birthday plans. However, I noticed a handmade happy birthday card on my desk and a note wishing me well on my computer from some co-workers I hardly knew. Although I thought the day passed rather unnoticed, it wasn’t forgotten altogether and that cheered me up. One of my coworkers said she was sorry she didn’t get a “real” card instead of the handmade one with a piece of paper but I told her it was the closest thing to a real birthday card I got, so I was really thankful for it - and I truly was.
Later in the month a relative called and told me to check the mail. I went and got the mail, but I didn’t see anything from him. Upon hearing him get anxious on the phone regarding the large amount of money he claimed to have sent me I checked one more time, and I noticed on the side of the mail box there was a package. Inside was a gift card for $200, the exact amount I gave God a few weeks before. Also, of no little importance was the fact I could buy food with it which is exactly what I wanted but found to be expensive.
The Bible says, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.” Proverbs 19:17 “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:8-10 Now, I didn’t instantly become a millionaire due to giving a few hundred dollars, and some may argue it wasn’t much of a blessing to get $200 at the time since I seemed to only breakeven - but I did get a rich blessing and was very happy.
Sometimes it is not about the money back but the reminder that God is watching over you and your situation, even the little things that it seems others have forgotten or didn’t notice. $200 isn’t much but God took note. A birthday isn’t much but God remembered it, and God oversaw those events so that I did get some birthday cheer that was lacking. Yes, you can give to God and still be broke, but you don’t have to be broken when things don’t go as planned. Having God in your life means having heaven, you can’t ask for more than for the assurance that God is watching over you regardless of the circumstances. God can fill your life with blessings if you just to allow God to fill your mind.
