You Gotta Do Whatcha Gotta Do!!

This is one of my favorite, and oh so true, sayings when it comes to life.

I have a dear friend who is going through a real tough time financially. This is all new to her. She never had to experience any hard financial times growing up or any up to this point in her life. She is very scared and upset and confused right now. The light in her eyes is gone. She is questioning what God is doing in her life right now and wondering if they took a wrong turn somewhere. She is literally hanging on by a thread right now...........and I am sad for her.

Money. The root of all evil if you ask me, and yet very necessary for life. You can't live without it, but it IS possible to live with a lot less of it.

I know. I have been there. Not once, but twice. Granted, the first time I was just a child, but I saw what my parents were going through. I noticed when we would set down as family to eat dinner together and my Mom would have little to nothing on her plate. She would make sure we all ate and had plenty. I remember going with my Dad when he was off work and mowing peoples lawns and doing odd jobs for a little extra money just so we could eat or have clothes or school supplies or a roof over our heads. I remember these things.....

And then as an adult, as a parent, as a couple. My husband and I hand a hard 5 year period. It seemed like it was forever. Not paying this bill so we can pay that bill. Or struggling to provide food for our 4 children and then adding 2 more to the bunch because it is what we had to do. Doing whatever we could to bring in extra money. Getting "creative" with food. Never turning down a offer for a free meal . Going without a air conditioner for nearly a year because we could not afford to fix it.Pawning our items for months at a time. Praying God would get us through just one more day. Just one more day, Lord................

These have all been life lessons for us. We "made it through" in a way. We still struggle, but not anything like we used to. These tough times just taught us how to manage what we do have and to not take ANYTHING for granted. We appreciate everything and everyone so much more now. Our friends, our family. Our God.

If you are going through a tough time right now, please know that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. You Can and WILL make it through to the other side. Have Faith. Pray. Lean on your friends or family. But most of all, lean on God.

Thank you, Father, for being there. Always. I pray for my friends Lord. You know their worries and troubles Father. Please bring peace to their lives. I pray that they turn to you , not just now, but always. Amen.