Cue video and music: Heinz Ketchup coming  oh-so-slowly out of the bottle while Carly Simon’s song is in the background.  I am starting this post early on purpose because of Anticipation.     Anticipation is in a child’s eye at Christmas time.  Anticipation is in a person’s demeanor as they wait for a long-awaited trip or excursion.  Anticipation is in the face of a young man & lady as they wait for their trip down the aisle to say, “I do.”  My anticipation today is for another reason.  Back in 2005 I heard about Dave Ramsey for the first time.  I read his book and felt convicted that it was time to do something with our finances.  I have never been very good with money and when someone’s eyes are bigger than their wallet it can cause severe heartburn. I told the folks I pastor a couple of weeks ago that I had a disease: I saw. I wanted. I bought.  Only it really wasn’t me who bought it.  The credit card did.  So when I/we started on our journey of getting out of debt, I cut up all our cards.  I am embarrassed to tell you we had about $20k worth of cc debt.  Since then we have tried to live by the debit card.  Admittedly, we have had a few missteps along the way-some our fault and some circumstances (moving twice tends to throw budgets into a frenzy as does having a car get hit by a train).  Long story short: today I head to the credit union to pay off two car loans.  One will be given as a gift to my daughter and son-in-law.  The other will be Jo’s to drive till the wheels fall off (that may be soon since it is a 2002 Vue with 213,000 miles on it).   Next week I will be even more excited since the last vestige of the remaining balance on the closed cc plus dental bills will be paid.  Lord willing, all that will be left is my vehicle and our house.  Yahoo!!!   

But, like most good things, it came at a price.  Besides the obvious of not buying things on credit and putting off things, the real price was paid on July 11, 2009.  You can read about it here and here. Last week the insurance company settled with me. I wasn’t out for blood so the voices that told me I should hold out for more or “take them to court” just didn’t resonate in me.  (That is some of what is wrong in this country…too much litigation).  Anyway, the settlement is adequate but probably not complete since I do have some residual stuff but I am happy (as is Jo) that the accident is finally behind me.  But I did find out that not even banks totally trust the insurance companies.  They held the check and will dole out some today and the rest next week.    So today’s will pay off the two vehicles and next week’s will pay off a whole lot more.

God brings beauty from ashes.  I didn’t like what happened to me (no cyclist does).  I had some serious pain occasionally-eventually enough to require neck surgery.  But that is the way life often is.  Never does it seem to always go smoothly.  It has its hills and valleys.  It has its roadblocks and chuckholes.  But it also has amazing vistas that show God’s amazing grace!  I would not have picked a bike accident for even my worst enemy to pay off debt but I will accept it as being from a gracious God who specializes in making ugly things beautiful.

Your thoughts?   How has God taken an ugly situation in your life and made it beautiful?   I would love to hear your story.

FYI: THE DEED IS DONE!!  YES!!!