As you all know, I am head-over-heels-crazy-in-love with my husband. Even after almost 35 years of being a couple, I still rush home from work because I know I will get to see him. In years past, Christmas has been frustrating for me. My husband will always wow my socks off with some gift he thought up that wasn't on my list. Usually it isn't a cheap gift either. One year it was an electronic reader. Another year it was a very nice digital camera. And the list goes on and on.
The hard thing for me was that I wasn't working a lot where I was making discretionary income, so I never had huge amounts of money to spend on something for him that would surprise him or knock his socks off. Not that it is all that important, but in my own defense, I'm just following God's example. When He sent Jesus, He knocked the ball totally out of the park! And that gift has kept on giving since that day! THAT is the kind of gift that I wanted to give my husband just once in our married life because I love him so much, appreciate him, and am blessed by his loving, giving ways. Just once I wanted to WOW him with a surprise he never saw coming that would last him a long time.
This year, with all its challenges, pains, and woes, the opportunity presented itself. I managed to land a free lance writing job with a blog writing service. It doesn't pay a lot, but it did allow me to write as much or as little as I wanted. I figured out how many blogs I would have to write a week to earn enough money to buy my husband one of these:
The hard thing for me was that I wasn't working a lot where I was making discretionary income, so I never had huge amounts of money to spend on something for him that would surprise him or knock his socks off. Not that it is all that important, but in my own defense, I'm just following God's example. When He sent Jesus, He knocked the ball totally out of the park! And that gift has kept on giving since that day! THAT is the kind of gift that I wanted to give my husband just once in our married life because I love him so much, appreciate him, and am blessed by his loving, giving ways. Just once I wanted to WOW him with a surprise he never saw coming that would last him a long time.
This year, with all its challenges, pains, and woes, the opportunity presented itself. I managed to land a free lance writing job with a blog writing service. It doesn't pay a lot, but it did allow me to write as much or as little as I wanted. I figured out how many blogs I would have to write a week to earn enough money to buy my husband one of these:
It's a Dillion Precision XL650 progressive re-loader. My husband has talked about this thing for years as if it was some far off dream. Granted, it was pricey-right up there with the digital camera but I knew that if I could swing it, it would leave him speechless, which is no easy task!
So I started writing. At $8.00 a pop, that total price for the re-loader looked too far away. I started out running in spurts, but eventually I got to the place that if I had to write another blog post about torque wrenches, lift chairs, pet care, or cremation, I was going to scream! But then I would imagine the look on my husband's face opening that re-loader on Christmas morning and I would joyfully jump back in there and write. As time neared, it looked like I might not make it, so I prayed and asked the Lord for some help. He answered by giving me employment with a company who pays bonuses for good sales. In October we managed a 6 million dollar sales month and the company gave every employee $500.00. It put me over the top. My son in law went into cahoots with me and ordered it on his credit card so that my husband wouldn't see it on a statement and then stored it at his house so that I wouldn't have to try to hide it. I used my work email for all correspondence and tracking info. I even bought him the usual for Christmas gifts like shirts and other small items to knock him off the scent. Christmas came and all the gifts were opened. Suddenly my son-in-law drags this huge box in from his van for "someone who has been especially good this year" and plopped it right in front of my husband. My hubby looked at me and said "What did you do? What did you do?" As he tore the paper and saw what it was he just kept saying "you're crazy! You're crazy!" I got him! And I got him GOOD! Needless to say it made my WHOLE Christmas just to see the look on his face. It's an impression that I will treasure in my heart for many years to come! I didn't even use that expensive camera to take his photo because I wanted the snapshot of his face imprinted on my heart and I didn't want to miss a single moment.
My point here is that when I grew weary in the journey, I looked ahead to the end result and it gave me incentive to keep going. Jesus did this in his life as well. Hebrews 12:2 says "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Christ endured the agonies and horror of the Roman cross because He saw beyond the cross. He saw the work accomplished. He saw the rewards gained and the defeat, once and for all, of sin! He pictured the pleasure on his Father's face as He saw mankind fully redeemed. And God who made "known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ was pleased to sacrifice His only Son for the sake of mankind. How pleased He must have been when Christ said, "it is finished." Mission complete. All has been accomplished.
So when you feel like you can't go on, when heaven seems dull or too far away, when you feel the world pulling strong upon your affections and desires, STOP! Look ahead. Think of heaven- living in the manifest presence of God where there is wholeness, completeness, perfection, CHRIST, and then grab hold of the grace God gives daily to endure and go forward! It will be well worth it! He won't give you weekly grace or monthly grace but He will give you what you need in abundance for today!
So I started writing. At $8.00 a pop, that total price for the re-loader looked too far away. I started out running in spurts, but eventually I got to the place that if I had to write another blog post about torque wrenches, lift chairs, pet care, or cremation, I was going to scream! But then I would imagine the look on my husband's face opening that re-loader on Christmas morning and I would joyfully jump back in there and write. As time neared, it looked like I might not make it, so I prayed and asked the Lord for some help. He answered by giving me employment with a company who pays bonuses for good sales. In October we managed a 6 million dollar sales month and the company gave every employee $500.00. It put me over the top. My son in law went into cahoots with me and ordered it on his credit card so that my husband wouldn't see it on a statement and then stored it at his house so that I wouldn't have to try to hide it. I used my work email for all correspondence and tracking info. I even bought him the usual for Christmas gifts like shirts and other small items to knock him off the scent. Christmas came and all the gifts were opened. Suddenly my son-in-law drags this huge box in from his van for "someone who has been especially good this year" and plopped it right in front of my husband. My hubby looked at me and said "What did you do? What did you do?" As he tore the paper and saw what it was he just kept saying "you're crazy! You're crazy!" I got him! And I got him GOOD! Needless to say it made my WHOLE Christmas just to see the look on his face. It's an impression that I will treasure in my heart for many years to come! I didn't even use that expensive camera to take his photo because I wanted the snapshot of his face imprinted on my heart and I didn't want to miss a single moment.
My point here is that when I grew weary in the journey, I looked ahead to the end result and it gave me incentive to keep going. Jesus did this in his life as well. Hebrews 12:2 says "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Christ endured the agonies and horror of the Roman cross because He saw beyond the cross. He saw the work accomplished. He saw the rewards gained and the defeat, once and for all, of sin! He pictured the pleasure on his Father's face as He saw mankind fully redeemed. And God who made "known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ was pleased to sacrifice His only Son for the sake of mankind. How pleased He must have been when Christ said, "it is finished." Mission complete. All has been accomplished.
So when you feel like you can't go on, when heaven seems dull or too far away, when you feel the world pulling strong upon your affections and desires, STOP! Look ahead. Think of heaven- living in the manifest presence of God where there is wholeness, completeness, perfection, CHRIST, and then grab hold of the grace God gives daily to endure and go forward! It will be well worth it! He won't give you weekly grace or monthly grace but He will give you what you need in abundance for today!
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