The Pickle Jar

Our summer routine, when life has so graciously allowed it to be our routine, has been to clean the house on Monday morning..using the teamwork concept...and then do something fun to reward ourselves for the rest of the day. We have had a day of swimming as a reward and pizza with a movie at home so far. Yesterday we headed off to Corsicana in the early afternoon to see a movie to pay ourselves back for conquering the dirt that so easily accumulates around here. I gave the kids about $5 each to blow on games and paid for the movie and snacks. Brazos and Banner had their own money that they carried along...just in case something came up.

Banner earns her cash from odd jobs and saves up her extra camp money that I have given her. She thinks she is so smart and that I do not realize all of the extra money hidden in her secret savings is really MY left over change...or actually her Dad's because I am earning no income outside of the home at the moment. The usual custom for Banner is to spend what she has too. When that savings account hidden in her desk drawer in the midst of paper clips and old pencils and gum wrappers reaches about $20...she is on the hunt for a purchase and looking for a ride out of the city limits to make the transaction happen. Yesterday that proved to be true. She found a $20 CD player in a cute, bright green and had to have it. She was a happy camper and all smiles on the drive home with the new device sitting pretty in her lap.

Brazos, on the other hand, was disgusted with himself on the drive back. Right about the time that we crossed the railroad tracks on the south side of Corsicana he spoke up from the backseat. You see, he has been earning his money mowing his Granddad's yard in Dallas. He has a bi-weekly appointment and earns about $30 cash plus dinner of his choice, a swim, and ride back to Fairfield in good company. Earning this money has been the high lite of his summer. He thinks "PUSH MOWING" is fun! We joke and say that locally he is probably in line to be the next owner of "Morrison Lawn and Hay" services. Brazos loves hard work, sweat, and physical labor.

Back to why he was so mad...he had BLOWN most of his money! He started off with over $30 and ended up with only about $5. This usually does not happen. He is a careful saver and even a more careful spender! He knows the value of a dollar because he is very willing to work for it; therefore, understands the negative value of just blowing it on nothing. However, he got a bit carried away with the games at the movies! He played a few too many rounds of basketball and attempted to win too many stuffed animals at the crane game. He said he thought he would resale the animals in our garage sale. (I question that explanation and think he just got caught up in the moment.) He had a few necklaces, stuffed bears, and a shark that whistled when you pushed on its belly to show for his money. When he opened his wallet and surveyed his winnings in the back seat on the drive home, he realized he came up short and was not pleased at all!

Because Braz is usually a logical thinker with a plan in mind, he said in one big, run-on sentence without taking a breath..."The next time I earn money, I am putting it all in a big pickle jar with a little hole in the lid. I can cut a slit with my pocket knife and push in my money. I will never...never...open it! I am keeping my money. What do you think, Mom? Is that a good idea? Do we have a pickle jar?"

I glanced in the rear view mirror and just grinned as all good moms would do and said "Good idea, Braz." There was no reason for me to add to the life lesson he had learned. I did not say "I TOLD YOU SO...those machines are full of nothing but junk....or anything like that." I just looked at him and smiled. Brazos had learned the lesson on his own. The really neat part about this story is that he had a plan already in place. He was not going to let it happen again.

The word that comes to mind here is INTENTIONAL. Brazos knew that if he was not going to blow his money again that he would have to be intentional. Yes, because I am 38 years old and have made so many mistakes in my 38 years, I know Brazos will probably learn this lesson over and over again until he really gets it right, but that process is how we learn! He vowed to use a pickle jar to help him attain his goal and I vow every time I goof up to lean more on Jesus and less on myself.

Every time I depend on myself, my plans, my motivations, and my feelings...I blow it! Proverbs 19:21 says "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it the Lord's purpose that prevails." Oh, how I pray that The Lord's purpose prevails for myself and my precious family.

Another verse that came to mind as I looked back at my son's sweet, but sad face was: If you ever wonder why you are being tested, facing trials, or learning the same old lessons over and over again, the Word says this: "For you, O God, tested us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." Psalm 66:10-12

So often in life the "place of abundance" comes after the hard times and after our feet are really put to the fire. Then...in the fire...we know we NEED the Lord and can not make it a single day without Him...He saves us from it because of His unfailing love. Our relationship is strengthened and our faith is stronger than ever before. Life as a follower of Christ WILL not be easy, but we are never alone and nothing comes into our life, good or bad, that does not have purpose if we submit it to the Lord.

I love that my son learned a lesson this week! I love that I am learning daily about my walk as a follower of Jesus Christ! I am not giving up either, even when I am tested and I so miserably fail. I know God has plans, promises and a future for me that would BLOW my mind if He even gave me a glimpse of it all. This is true for us all if we know Him as LORD! It all begins with my relationship with Him and my obedience.

My recent series of lessons did not send me to a pickle jar and a savings plan. It sent me to a verse in 1 John 1:8-9 that says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

I pray whatever you are facing today, this week, or this month, that you come up with a plan! Let the plan be practical and simple like the pickle jar. I pray too it sends you to your Lord and Savior. He does want to be involved in your daily life and cares deeply about each and every plan and purpose of your life!