Lavender chai, a lemon square, and a new-to-me book. Those were just a few of the treats that I enjoyed over the weekend. On Saturday, I attended my first Friend of the Library sale. Carefully tuned in to the voice of my Google Maps GPS, I drove with purpose. I have learned the secret of shopping for others.
The list of book genres for my mother-in-law was in my purse, and my mission was to find as many books as possible for her. She is a voracious reader who quickly goes through 5-7 books a week.
Saturday Morning
The sale is a monthly affair and draws quite a crowd. I realize its not everyone’s ideal Saturday morning excursion, but for me, it was exciting. I filled up a bag for Mom fairly quickly, but when it was time to look for me, indecisiveness hit my heart. Why was it easy to shop for someone else? Then it hit me. I felt overwhelmed with all the choices and the nagging question, “What do you need?” was reverberating in my head. Separating wants and needs is important, and I didn’t want to confuse them.
Living outside of the United States of America for over 18 years has a huge impact on one’s perspective. It can turn you into a, “I better get this now because it won’t be here next time” kinda person. Or thoughts of “what will our supporters think if I splurge on this?” might take over.
So, I chose to pause and not fall prey to a false sense of urgency. I set Mom’s books aside for safekeeping and began to look around at a more relaxed pace.
“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.”
Philippians 4:12 NLT
I Have Learned the Secret
Our family learned to live on whatever God provided. And over that 18 year span He provided for us without fail. In Belize I had a sign in our kitchen saying, ‘It is what it is’. I say that phrase more often than I can count some days. It would be disingenuous to pretend that nothing phases me anymore because I still have much to learn and rough edges to refine. How about you? What secrets have you learned?