Have you ever been so far behind on your bills that you are drowning? Like things are paid but you literally have no money to feed your family? But you had to pay certain regular bills so that you still have the other basic needs? It’s so embarrassing right?
I’ve been there. More times than I would like to admit truthfully. Thankfully, my husband and I live 15 minutes from both my parents and my his, because they would have us over to eat dinners with them, and take leftovers home for lunch the next day. One thing to know about my mom especially, is that cooking is her love language and always makes more than enough.
While there is nothing wrong with that and I could never curate the best words to express my gratitude to both them and the Lord for providing, I still wanted to be the one to do this for my household.
A few months ago, we were really strapped one particular week just before our son’s birthday. I found myself in a worry of trying to determine how we could make things work that week. I glanced over at my pile of donations and decided to host a garage sale. I called my mom and mom in law, and together we made a plan for a multi family garage sale just two days later.
That night and the next, I rummaged through the house to find enough to pull together a sale.
As I was staring at the giant pile of stuff in my basement hallway, I took a moment in panic, and prayed. I asked the Lord to bless my work. I asked for those items to the families that needed them, or would be able to treasure them more than me. That my pricing was fair and that I would be willing to negotiate practically. Then, I went back to grinding out.
I filled my suv and my husband’s truck to the rim and drove it across town. We found old signs and fixed them up, posted on social media, and opened for business.
My goals were simple: get rid of as much as possible and earn enough to get a few groceries. A bonus would be if I could get a little present for my son.
Saturday morning came. I got up before the sun and made my way over to start laying everything out in the driveway. Between the three households, we had a great lot for our neighbors and friends to look through. For a last minute decision, we had everything from baby and kid items, home decor (even seasonal!), and adult clothing.
It wasn’t long after my father in law put out the signs that our first customer came by. He purchased a few things and my heart grew confident! I began taking pictures of a few things and posted once again to remind my social media community that we were up and running (a tip I found from another blog with tips on a great yard sale). Those posts did help generate some other sales and so we made a pile of things sold online to deliver on another day.
The day went on and our sales stayed steady. I continually thanked the Lord for his provision and texted with my husband to keep him posted. As the day wrapped up, I had totaled around $150 for myself. Which doesn’t seem like much, but it was enough to do exactly what I was seeking after!
I hope this encourages you today in your finances. That even when things are so tight it feels like you can’t breathe, the Lord will still make a way when you step out in faith. When you place that trust in Him to make a way with a little bit, just like the story of the 5 loaves and 2 fish found in Mark 6, you see a miracle right before your eyes.