He Didn’t Say “Yes, Dear!”
Day 221 of Photo Inspirations — He Didn’t Say “Yes, Dear!”
#TBT We were married just a couple of months when a friend convinced us we needed to let him send his vacuum cleaner salesman over to show us his “super duper electric dirt scooper” — the AMAZING Filter Queen. Being friends who cared about friends, we set up the appointment for “his guy” to come by. He did, and with a convincing demo and an easy payment plan, we signed up for our almost do-it-by-itself vacuum. The easy payment plan included….if we find other friends who would invite our salesman into their home, every time one of those friends purchased, that month would be free for us. That sounded so easy that we signed on the dotted line. Only thing was, we found out who OUR friends were….or were not. So that $17 a month payment was a load of stress on our already overloaded budget. I’ll never forget how much faith it took to get that $17 a month bill paid. Little did we realize it would be the first of many and far greater faith opportunities in future years.
It’s amazing how far we’ve come since those early days. That payment is a drop-in-the-bucket now compared to the lofty purchases and payments we made along the way. But, that little $17 seed experience showed us God’s faithfulness in the SMALL and the HUMANGOUS things we encountered. It’s all about trusting God with all our hearts — no matter what our needs are….He promises to meet them as we wholeheartedly serve Him and lean on His understanding and His abilities working in and through us. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6.
But my vacuum cleaner story doesn’t end there. After several other vacuums through the years, ten years ago we needed a lighter and easier one to maneuver. I was pleased with the one I found — a reasonably priced model that would do the job just fine. But, that wasn’t my husband’s plan. He was convinced that we MUST have the ORECK vacuum — a lightweight, upright vacuum with incredible suction, a HEPA inner bag, furniture-friendly moves and a LIFETIME WARRANTY. The price for it was over $700. With as many persuasive moves that I could muster up for negating this costly idea, my husband would not be moved. He made the decision against my wishes. I’ll admit I sulked at spending that much money for a vacuum. I reasoned that I could buy 4 vacuums for the one he purchased. That was 10 years ago and 10 years of enjoying this fabulous vacuum. I must say….”It was one of the best purchases we ever made.” It is light. It moves automatically with very little pressure from me. It’s so light I can load it easily into my car or carry it up the stairs. The least little thing needs repair — it’s free. Annual maintenance check and cleaning is free. The moral to this story is yet again…..”You get what you pay for!” I’m a bargain shopper with the best of bargain shoppers. I am a great steward of my finances. I love a deal. I go to sale racks before EVER going to the full price racks. But, there are just times when wisdom is the best pursuit — in decision making, in purchases, in relationships and in overall experiencing life. That purchase was just ONE of those times, he DIDN’T say, “Yes, Dear!” And I’m so glad he didn’t.