It's 2:00 am, and after tossing and turning for a fitful hour or so I finally got up. Daphne and I just returned yesterday afternoon from a brief, but much needed, time away together. Several months ago I'd purchased a Groupon for a hotel and spa in Crested Butte that seemed almost too good to be true - less than half price for the hotel room and vouchers for the spa. I jumped on it, knowing that we REALLY needed to get away. I told Daph that we can use it to celebrate our 23rd anniversary (back in June) and my birthday (last Sunday).
Fast forward to the present.
The date finally arrived last Sunday for us to make our three-day escape to Crested Butte. There was only one problem: we were literally out of money. I had a pile of bills stacking up at the house that I couldn't pay, and the responsible part of me kept saying that I shouldn't be spending any money now... money we don't have ... just to go relax for a few days with Daphne. But I bit the bullet, borrowed from Peter to pay Paul, and we took off. It was a great, quiet time for the two of us ( I think we were the only guests at the hotel!). I brought cash to pay for our gas and meals, since I didn't want to overdraw our bank account. You'd think that after knowing God for nearly 40 years I would have learned to trust Him with all of our needs and just relax, but in the back of my mind was the nagging reminder of all the unpaid bills waiting back home. We skipped a meal or two to save money, and decided not to use the spa vouchers since we couldn't afford the difference between our $30 vouchers and the $110 actual cost for a massage. So we slept late, went window shopping in town (Daphne), did some fly fishing (Jim), and bought popcorn and snacks to eat while we watched movies in the hotel room. It was great.
On our way there and on our way home we talked about many things: about how we ever ended up running a country store in Bailey, Colorado - something neither of us had ever thought about or even imagined. And we talked about some of our dreams and the things each of us is asking God for, but that we'd never shared with each other before. Daphne is trusting God that one day I will sleep through the night and not be up at 2:00 am writing on my blog (no comment), and that our girls will all walk with God and marry men who will love them and lead them spiritually, and that she will grow to be a woman of faith - to believe God for impossible things. I'm embarrassed to say that my requests are not nearly as spiritual or selfless as Daphne's - like asking God to give me a friend who owns a ranch and horses... someone I can go riding with, where I can satisfy the cowboy within me who's dying to get out. Or that God will bless our store so that one day we won't have to struggle to make ends meet, and we'll be able to employ other folks who desperately need the work. Or that we can enjoy a meal at the Steakhouse in Crested Butte, rather than just going for pizza. Or that we'll earn enough so I can help pay my daughter's way through college so she doesn't have to work so hard. At breakfast this morning Daphne made the timely comment that even though we've always been living by faith with our finances, we've had the privilege of living in and traveling to exotic places that most people only dream about (and a few that most sane people stay away from). She's totally right. Like I said, she's the more spiritual one of the two of us.
We stopped by the store on our way home to check on Dana (our friend and part-time employee), and she handed me an envelope that someone had dropped off for us. I stuck it in my pocket with some other stuff and forgot about it. As I got up this morning I was again thinking about our unpaid bills, and I remembered the envelope in my jeans pocket. I opened it, and inside was a check for $700 and a note from some dear friends, "Use this in any way God directs. We love you guys." I began to weep, overwhelmed at such a direct, on-time provision from God through friends who had no idea of what our financial needs are. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways, just like the Scriptures say. Jehovah-Jireh. God our Provider.
I'm off to try to get some more sleep before I have to drive Jacqueline to the bus stop at 6:30.
