"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts 20:35
I have always tried to live my life by this verse. I have blogged about it before. I have a passion for helping others and giving back. It is not often that I am on the receiving end of gifts and always feel uncomfortable taking gifts.
Earlier this summer I made a decision to step away from helping others for awhile and focus on taking care of my family. Helping others had taken time away from the most important things in my life and that was my family. I felt guilty about that. I decided to get back to couponing. Something that helped my family tremendously in the past and that I had neglected for almost a year. Over the course of the summer my grocery stockpile grew and my money saving increased. However, I still
questioned my decisions and felt a sense of guilt for not being able to help everyone else. It wasn't long until I saw what I had seen every other time. HIS plan. My husband's job was at stake yet again. This would be the fourth time in four years that layoffs in his job field had created a change for us. The only option that made sense to us was for him to take a very significant cut in pay to be closer to home and with more job security. I was so thankful to have the tools I needed to continue to save money. However, I knew that it would not be without struggle and much sacrifice.
In the past few weeks I have been shown that God does supply our needs. Through faith and amazing friends I am blown away by the generous and kind giving of others. Today when I got home I was SURPRISED to find a wireless printer sitting on my front door. This may not seem like much to anyone else, but this gift will help tremendously in helping me save money. I use my phone as a computer 99% of the time and am unable to print coupons from my phone or Emily's ipad. Extra coupons mean saving extra money.
I was just thinking earlier that we would not be able to help needy families in the capacity in which we have in Christmases past. In giving back, I will pay it forward and use my gift of getting free food at the grocery store with my coupons to families this year.
I found this idea on Pinterest a while back. Blessing bags: http://pinterest.com/pin/137711701075381561/
I intend to keep giving as much as I possibly can.
I am also still fully committed to giving Scentsy Buddies to kids with autism by selling Scentsy. I have been blessed with an abundance of orders recently that helped me send 16 buddies out.
I am blessed beyond measure!
Thanks for reading,
Jessica
To my friends for the support~ I love you!
I have a big smile reading your blog, Jessica! What a great thing you are doing for others AND your family!
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