Required to Dress Professionally
My job has a dress code. Employees are required to dress professionally. In the last two or three years, state and federal budget cuts have reduced my income. This income reduction means I can only buy underclothing, pantyhose, and shoes at the store. I have always liked to bargain shop, but it has been more of a hobby than a necessity. Now, I find myself bargain shopping out of necessity.
Clothing Worries
A couple of weeks ago, I caught myself worrying about my shrinking income, increasing expenses, and aging wardrobe. My mind kept spinning around one thought," How am I going to afford any new clothes?" I had purchased a bare minimum of work-related clothing last year, so acquiring new clothing items was unavoidable . My brain just grabbed ahold of this thought and wouldn't let go.A Scriptural Answer
Finally, I opened up my bible to Matthew 6: 25-33,Do Not Worry, and started reading. My attention was caught by the following words:"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin...So do not worry, saying,'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'...your heavenly Father knows that you need them...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
I felt humbled. How could I have let doubt and worry creep into my thoughts, again? Prayerfully, I talked with my heavenly Father and apologized for focusing on the financial problems. Prayerfully, I told him, You are in charge of my life and I am trusting you to provide for me. My brain let go of my clothing worries and became worry-free.
$1.89 Blessing
Earlier this week, on my way home from the post office, I read a sign - Crazy Lady's Resale Shop. Happily, I stopped to see what bargains I might find in this new shop. Quickly, I looked through the clothing racks for career clothing. A tropical print blouse, in subdued blues and greens, caught my eye; I removed it from the rack. The tag revealed that it was from JC Penney's and was in almost new condition. Swiftly, I said a quick Thank-you Father and placed the blouse on the check-out counter. Returning to the clothing racks, I continued sifting through the clothes and a pair of gray slacks appeared. My heart beat happily, I just knew these slacks belonged with the blouse I'd already found. A quick check of the label verified my guess, the slacks were also from JC Penney's and matched the blouse. At the checkout counter, the cashier announced my total,"$1.89." Wow, a two piece outfit in excellent shape for $1.89. I knew where this blessing came from. I had focused on seeking the kingdom and He was bringing me what I needed.
Two days later, I stopped at another resale shop that supports a ministry, God's Hand Extended, in Owensville, MO. Guess what I found? A brand-new, black and white cardigan from Macy's, a like-new, red and black floral blouse in my favorite style, AND a crocheted tablecloth in my favorite color, celadon. Total cost of the three items? $5.00.
I know what some of you are thinking. I would have found these bargains anyway, but there is no way of knowing that. What I do know is that I was not finding any bargains while I was letting worry dominate my thoughts. After turning my worry over to the Father and after trusting Him to take care of me, I found clothing that was in styles I liked, that matched pieces I already have, and that cost less than $8.00. Additionally, at the God's Hand Extended store, my money was supporting a ministry.
Isn't He good to His children... He was just waiting on you! ♥
ReplyDelete~Tess
I agree Tess. He is always waiting for me. I love it when he nudges me in the right direction with the Holy Spirit.
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