Yes, Virginia. It All Adds Up.

"Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha ... She was full of good works and acts of charity."  And, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."   ... Acts 9:36, John 21:25

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Tom and I have been married for 36 years(!) and oh, the hundreds of (crazy) ways I've saved money, mostly so that this lover-of-home can stay, well, home, the only place she's qualified to work. heh.

All those mornings when I boiled my own pancake syrup using half the recommended sugar, even. The thousands of laundry loads I dried upon a wooden rack and the countless dollars I've saved almost-never paying full-price for groceries, but waiting till they went on sale, then saving more with added coupons.

The homemade glass and counter-top cleaner I've bottled with vinegar and water, the hand soap with just a tad of dish liquid and lots of water. The decades I've mowed the lawn myself, dug my own gardens, grown our own vegetables. The clothes we've bought at second-hand shops, the fees we avoided paying on credit cards by paying them off monthly, the extra sweaters I've worn so to keep the heat turned lower.

It all adds up. 

Over 3 decades all that effort (which eventually becomes mindlessly automatic) has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in savings.

You know what else adds up for us all over our lifetime? Thoughtful deeds done for others.


The gifts we made or bought and gave sacrificially.
The instances at the supermarket when we smiled at everybody.
The times we 'liked' someone's Facebook status and/or commented simply to let them know people care.
The moments we told others we'd pray for them.
The days we visited the sick and/or cooked them a meal.
The afternoons we babysat children simply because a parent needed alone time.
The times we expressed our condolences to others. Yes, even online it matters.
The gift cards or checks we sent to help someone in need.
The times we encouraged others with our words and kept them moving forward.
The mornings we invited someone over for coffee and dessert or paid for a breakfast at a coffee shop.
The times we gave away items we still loved.


This list is endless because all possible good deeds are endless. But one thing I know? God keeps track of each time we gave out of obedience and from a pure heart. 

And I'm thinking when we reach Heaven we'll be astounded at how they all added up. How our good deeds became like thousands of gleeful, bright fireflies, lighting, warming even the corners of this otherwise cold, dark world.

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"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."  ... Matthew 5:14


“Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in.” 
― Leonard Cohen



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Need to read some heartwarming stories instead of all the tragic ones out there? Go here.


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