The 10 Dollar Bill

As a 12-year-old girl, it’s pretty obvious I don’t make a lot of money. There’s only so many things I can do. I babysit my sister and neighbors. I clean the house. I help my dad with pig chores. I work in my grandma’s candle shop.

So when I pay for Romario and Amalisa (my sponsor kids) every month, I spend a lot of that money. Often I spend more than I make. I can’t buy things for myself very often. So what do I do?

This morning I wrote a check for Romario and Amalisa for the months of March, April, and May. The total amounted to $210. I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately about this issue. I try to make a few extra dollars every chance I get.

As I told my mom about my struggles, she told me this: ” God will find a way to provide always, if it is for his glory.” I tried to believe her, but I couldn’t help doubting.

During church, my friend’s young daughter was getting restless. She was getting frustrated because her daughter was being obnoxious while she wanted to pay attention to the service. So I brought her daughter to the playroom in back and babysat her for the rest of service. (And no, I wasn’t skipping church because we were over halfway through the service and I had gone to a different church with my friend the past night.)

After church, my grandma walked up to me, and handed me a 10-dollar bill. She told me she saw me go in back to babysit the girl and thought it was very nice of me.

God will provide. And God did provide. 

That $10 meant more to me than just a 10-dollar bill, though. It reminded me that God always keeps his promises. It reminded me that God will always provide.

And just earlier that service, I stood up on a step-stool to peek over the top of a podium and spoke into a microphone these words from John 20:

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

I am like Thomas. I doubted because I did not see. I did not see any signs that God would provide. I doubted that God would not come through. But God is unchanging, and like I said, he ALWAYS keeps his promises.

(I am linking up with Kristen Welch’s #yesinmymess community. Kristen and my mom are friends. She wrote a book called Rhinestone Jesus, which encourages people to say yes to God even when it’s feeling scary.)