The Best Laid Plans...and Grace.

My hubby turns 40 in two weeks.  I don't have grandiose plans for a party, but his phenomenal gift arrived this morning, thanks to UPS.  My Dan leaned over me in bed, kissed me yummily on the mouth, and somewhere between my groans of "morning sucks" and "mmmm, youuuu", he informed me that he had good news and bad news.  What do I want to hear first?  My sleep-fogged brain didn't care about the order, so he proceeded.  "My motorbike saddle-bags are here!  And, um, I had to give the UPS driver our Mastercard number to pay for the Canada/US border duties."

Yup, morning sucks.  The price of my budgeted gift just jumped by over 30%.  But hey, the boys will enjoy the new cardboard box.

The other day I was lamenting to our financial advisor that I wasn't paying down our debt as quickly as I'd hoped.  He took the condemnation out of my sails when he said, "Don't be a slave to your plan."  As wicked as debt is, it is just as wicked to fret and bemoan and stew over unplanned setbacks that keep me from wiping out that debt.  

But it's not all about Dan's gift.  He gets one day off a week.  And sometimes I need a little escape while he's home with the kids.  So I seized an opportunity to mosey over to our neighbouring town.  A chain store is going out of business, and they're giving stuff away.  Well, for a price.  The boys are set for underwear (70% off) , toques and mitts (10 cents each), winter boots ($2.50!) and Crayola crayons for the next few years.  And if you get a card in the mail from me, the stamp cost over six times what the card did!  So yeah, I got some fantastic deals.  But all that stuff added up to $175 bucks.  Kinda knocked the wind outta me at the till.  It was stuff I would need to buy eventually, so in the long run, yes, I did save money.  It's just that I spent that money before I had it.  

So I've wrestled.  Planning ahead?  A good thing.  Spending way more than I intended to?  A bad thing.  

But I'm reminded of Grace.  Getting what I don't deserve.  My next breath.  A husband who kisses me even if that next breath is full of morning.  A regular pay check.  Sunshine.  Underwear.  Yup, I have it good.  So when my plans cost me something Lord, thank You for Your grace.  Your forgiveness.  And for smashing legalism with each pounding of the nails through Your hands.  I am not a slave to my debt-repayment plan.  I am forgiven.