A week before payday...

Today I looked at the calendar to check just how long we have left in this month and realized, I am a week from payday! Now all the teachers out there who get their last paycheck about mid-December know just how much that first check of the new year is anticipated. Unless you are major disciplined, making it from the 21st of December to Feb. 1st without going into the red is really tough! But as I looked and saw that in just a week I'll get paid, I breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, yes, the next week may be a little tough. We'll finish off whatever is in the freezer and make a trip to the grocery only for milk, eggs, and bread - and maybe not all that! Still, I know that in just one week, my check will come. How do I know? Well, I've been a teacher now for over 10 years and they've always paid me before. They haven't let me down yet, so why would I believe this time would be any different?

Wonder why I bring this up? Well, my word for this year is ANTICIPATION. It is that excitement of knowing that something is on its way. I anticipate next Monday when my paycheck will be in my hand. Will it be huge? No. Will it be for me to spend on whatever I want? No, as a matter of fact, almost all of it is "spoken for" in the way of paying for the things we need to get by from day to day. Will it even last till the next payday? Well, not if I forget what its purpose is. Still, I know it will be there and to be honest, it will be enough. All that from a job that I could lose tomorrow. Yet I am confident that for now, it will be there.

How much more can I count on the promises of God? He has NEVER failed me...in fact, He's bailed me out of some pretty yucky situations before. He has ALWAYS come through - no matter how much I wondered if He would come through this time, He has always been there. He has ALWAYS provided for my needs - not necessarily all my wants, but my needs are taken care of! To top it off, sometimes He gives me much more than what I asked for, much more than just what I need to barely make it through. I can't think of a single time when my paycheck has had extra in it just to bless me!

This can be a year of anticipation for us all. Just like this final week before I get paid, at times it will get a little tough, but we know He will come through. He has NEVER failed us - even when we have failed Him. No matter what comes your way, look up in anticipation. He who has promised is faithful. He will come through. That which you have eagerly hoped for is on its way...and it won't even have FICA, Insurance, or any other extras withheld from it! So rejoice and be glad. Your answer is on its way.

Psalm 27:13 "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."

1 Thessalonians 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."

Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."