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As a 26-year-old newlywed part-time employee with a college degree, I am finding myself in the same position as many of my peers: flat broke. This is not where 90s society told me I would be at this point in my life. “But you have a college degree!” the 90s yell at me. “Yeah,” I reply. “But YOU didn’t see the recession coming. Jerk.”
So what does a broke 26-year-old newlywed part-time employee with a college degree do to make ends meet? Well, there’s having a roommate, waiting shamelessly long to buy a new pair of jeans, grocery shopping at Winco, and ramen. Lots and lots of ramen. And, of course, the foreboding family budget meeting. Those meetings are often the hardest conversations my husband and I have with each other, and there is always that looming question: How much do we tithe?
Fortunately, in the three and a half years we’ve been married, we’ve only had to lessen and/or suspend giving once, while we were being obedient to the Lord in eliminating our debt. Something that has always stuck with me from my childhood was a story of a person in financial difficulty not lessening their giving, and the Lord stayed faithful to provide for them during that season. Because of that, we keep giving – even though I am a broke 26-year-old newlywed part-time employee with a college degree.
You know what? The Lord has been faithful to provide.
The holiday season is always the most financially terrifying, so when revisiting our budget fell at the same time as the holidays, we were a little anxious freaked out of our minds. Both coming from large families, we had no idea how we were going to make gifts work for them, and we knew deep down we couldn’t afford gifts for each other.
My husband is in the “if-it’s-practical-it’s-not-a-gift” camp, while I’m in the “I’m-Mennonite” camp. But this last Christmas, we both agreed to practical gifts. (It’s amazing how a second pair of jeans can feel!) We also knew we couldn’t afford a Christmas tree, and as someone who gets giddy about Christmas in July, that was heartbreaking.
You know what? The Lord has been faithful to provide.
By the wonderful, glorious, loving grace of God, we were gifted the most beautiful Christmas tree I’ve ever had the privilege of owning. It made our new rental home feel intentional, and in the stress of Christmas, it brought me more comfort than I could express.
By the wonderful, glorious, loving grace of God, we were also gifted a $200 Visa gift card – three days before Christmas. We were thrilled, overjoyed and exhilarated that we could buy each other presents!
Both of these gifts were anonymous, and if you were one of the givers, may I please say a loud and resounding “Thank you!” We know Christmas is not about a Christmas tree or about gifts; it is 100% about the love of Christ. And because of these two angels, my husband and I acutely felt the love of Christ during the holiday season.
The Lord has been faithful to provide.