That’s Why I Pray
This morning, I went tearing through my purse at a red light because I was convinced I had left my cell phone at home. Again. Or at the grocery store. Again. Or in my other purse. Again. Or in my school bag. Again. (do you see a pattern here?)
In my frantic search, I did not turn up a cell phone (has anyone see my phone, by the way?), but I did find a handful of these:
More ticket stubs than I could count. Some to movies, some to a Magic basketball game, some to Sesame Street Live, some to our neighborhood fall festival, some to a bowling alley, and the list goes on. I sat at the traffic light and just smiled.
These were the remnants of hard work. They may look like mere tickets to various entertainment, but what they represented was two people who were working hard to make their marriage and family better. And those ticket stubs only represent the events we attended. That’s not even including the family outings, the travel, and the fun we’ve had just being together.
For the past month, Chris and I have consciously worked hard to add some excitement and adventure to our marriage and to our family. We have looked beyond the normal routine and rut that we found ourselves living in, and we tried to find ways to experience new things together and with our kids.
Our initial issue with getting out and doing more was money. We be broke. And we found ourselves in this boring routine that kept us home more than either Chris or I wanted because we were trying to save money. What that meant to our marriage, though, was that both Chris and I were bored and frustrated and we began to take that out on each other. When we realized this was the issue (after many weeks of bickering and fighting), we began to pray about it.
Once again, the Lord provided. As I flipped through all the ticket stubs from adventures and outings we’ve had over the past month, I smiled as I realized that we paid for none of it. Not one ticket stub was from something we had to pay for ourselves. A kind friend gave us tickets to one event. I won tickets to another. A random board member at Chris’s work walked in one day and handed him tickets to something else. And all the other events were free.
We prayed for our marriage and our family, and, as he always does, God provided more than we could ever have managed on our own.
I pray all the time. I ask for God to bless things, to move through things, to speak through things, to provide. And no matter what level of asking I do, God always exceeds my expectations.
And I have a purse of free ticket stubs to prove it.
20 Comments
Lindsey
Love it. Love your testimony!
Rachel
Did you find the phone yet? Try praying to St Anthony, the Patron Saint of Lost Things. I’m not Catholic, but I’ve heard of many times that praying to him has helped people find things. Sounds “out there” but it’s crazy how it works! =)
Katie M
A great reminder of Gods faithfulness!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving
God is good, and He provides in so many amazing ways! I am giving thanks with you for evidence of His answered prayers.
Christy
You pray for the free stuff? Girl, I better get to praying!
Lol! Totally joking. I’m glad your prayers were answered.
Lyndsey
Love this! So encouraging! Thanks for sharing from your heart!
Adrienne
Couldn’t help but smile and hear this verse as I read! Such a sweet post!
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Shana
This is so beautiful! you’re right….to me they are just stubs but those stubs represent life! I have a box full of silly things like that! A weird packet of chips from Amsterdam that I collected when flying to South Africa, dried petals from roses Hubby bought me every time we went out for the first 6 months of marriage, also movie ticket stubs, birthday cards, and other random artifacts all just giving the evidence to the beauty of the life God has given us!
It’s so wonderful how God reminded you of all of this. He works in miraculous ways!
Alaina
You are right in that God does provide. It may be difficult to get there, but he has a path for you. We’re going through somewhat of a similar situation with our marriage, and honestly I need to pray harder when it comes to that. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hardships. I really appreciate you sharing your story because it is nice to know there are others out there going through the same tough times.
Kattrina
I’m so glad that you two have found a way to add excitement back into your life! I agree, it is SO hard to do things when you are trying to save money or you’re just completely broke. My husband and I are always on the lookout for cheap/free things we can do that get us out of the house and let us spend some time together. We ended up buying a membership to the aquarium, which wasn’t cheap by any means, but it at least gives us a free place to go for an entire year. Also, during Christmas we always do “12 Dates of Christmas” where we find 12 things to do together as a family (Christmas tree hunting, looking at lights, dinner, church play, bowling, etc.). It is super fun to plan the dates out, I’ve already started making my list. I hope more fun things come your way!
Maggie W.
Along the same lines – did you win a pasta pot over on The Pioneer Woman?! Talk about my blog worlds colliding! Congrats!
catK
AMEN! God provides in ways we could have never imagined. Thank you for sharing this
Christy
On another note, the Lord works through craigslist. Except for the serial killers…
Melissa
Your quiet faith is such an inspiration, Katie. You’re never high-and-mighty, never out to prove how righteous you are; you simply share your stories of both triumph and failure with an open, honest heart. I admire how you always find your way back to the Lord, and how you’re never afraid to admit when you’ve wandered away and need to spend more time with Him.
Thank you, again, for sharing so much of yourself with us, your invisible friends. You often remind me of the way I need to approach life, and I honestly believe that there’s a crown waiting in heaven for you because of your writing and sharing.
The Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you.
Beanie, Gracie & Tillman's Nana
One of the sweetest and kindest responses I’ve ever read on this blog. You’re the kind of friend we all need!
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
I love this. I’m catching up on a couple of blog posts here on MC, and this is the best one!!
Cassie
He does answer all kinds of prayers! So glad you have been able to enjoy some family time together without breaking the bank!
Cheyenne
Love this post! I read this blog post about marriage and immediately thought of you. Take you look, you will feel feels, I promise.
http://sethadamsmith.com/2013/11/02/marriage-isnt-for-you/
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Vanessa
I just randomly found your blog through instagram. I have been binge reading and loving it! 🙂
I needed this message today. This is so us. We have three kids and a tight budget so date nights feel like an extravagance we can’t afford very often. Thanks for the reminder that God answers the prayers we haven’t even put into words yet.