The $10 Blessing: Integrity Pays in Your Business Dealings

photo courtesy of snacktime2007

**I bet the title had you thinking I was about to post a chainmail message huh? lol

Ok it's Friday and I don't have time for a long post so I'm gonna give you the quick and dirty:

Yesterday I made a large cash withdrawal so that I could envelope our funds for the week. Everything was kosher until I got to the car. While I was allocating the funds into the various envelopes, I kept coming up with an extra $10 bill... so I sat in the car and wondered what to do. Return it? Keep it? Tithe it back to the Lord as thank offering for providing the 'increase'? It was a simple decision. I walked back in the branch walked up to the teller I banked with and said "I'm not sure... but I think you made a mistake," producing the $10 spot at the same time. He looked confused, but said "uh, ok...". I then said, "I'm pretty sure about it, just check your drawer when you close out this evening."

Fast forward to a few hours later... it's 8:40pm and I'm RUSHING home to catch the start of game 4 of the Lakers vs. Celtics .... but before I can go home I need to stop and pay one more bill, which is cool cause it's on the way, not out of the way. Long story short: My wife and I are standing at the window and the teller is counting the money we'd like to have applied toward our bill... BUT HOLD UP SON!! It's short $10 dollars!!.... @W messed up the count yo!!.... what to do?!? I dunno but it's now 8:53 and the "Lake Show" comes on in 7 minutes lol!! So I pull out $10 from my personal money, pay the man, and say to my wife "I'll straighten it out with the bank tomorrow, I know just what happened."

So today I return to the scene of the crime to get my rightful $10 spot back... I had my "combat face" on and walking into the place like I was about business! I've seen this type of situation swing both ways too many times... both for and against the combatant -- er customer. And plus -- let's be real here-- I'm trying to get money 'back' from the $BANK$. You've seen what I've had to say about them in other posts... So anyway I walk in, ask for the branch manager, and tell him the situation. We both walk over to my favorite teller, and before I get there he's like "Mr. Wright, I check my drawer last night at closing time and came up $10 over, so I just deposited the money into your account for you."

Cool. That was that. Romans 8:28 did it's thing again. "All things work together for the good..."

I'm thankful for the number of blessings that came out of that simple miscounted $10 bill. 1) I acted with integrity when given an opportunity to 'get over'. 2) I established trust with my bank teller by acting honestly. 3) They did the same with me in return by depositing the funds into our account. 4) The Envelope System once again proved it's worth to us. I might not have noticed so easily where the $10 should've been if I was just banking online and paying with my debit card.

This experience gives a new meaning to the saying "Count your blessings" right?

Now back to what I was saying about the chainmail... if you forward this to 10 people as fast as you can, you will broaden my readership and I will instantly thank you! "Thank you!" (See how fast that was? I did my part...lol)

God bless,

@W

1/3 way home?

photo courtesy of householdriot

Mark today on your calendar... Ok well maybe not you, but I sure will. Today we reached a minor milestone in the fact that we just closed out our 10th account out of the 30 we started this journey with. So we are technically one-third of the way to our vision of debt freedom. **On a side note, finding a title for this post gave me fits!! This is why there's a question mark behind it... people always say 'half-way home' 3 quick words. But no one ever gramatically uses any other fraction in the same way... it always has to be "one-third-of-the-way" ect. which for me was just too many words for a snappy title. So please consider my title as my one-man mutiny against that stupid gramatical convention lol.

Now keep in mind this is only meant as a symbolic milestone because we are NOT anywhere near paying off 1/3 of our debt in dollars and cents... But trust me when you're in the grind of trying to eliminate debt you take EVERY victory you can.

So now, this is where our Debt Snowball finally gets rolling. Eventhough the monthly minimum for this personal loan was under $200, that freed up money now serves as a nice infusion to our financial situation. It gives us options we could not afford before. And no when I say "options" I don't mean I can just go blow that extra cash each month now LOL! It gives us some flexibility in how aggressively we can tackle various aspects of our debt.

Though it's a shame, I'm already eyeing the next milestone. It's gonna be maybe the most pivotal factor in our journey (unless my job wants to promote me again haha). In November we'll be making the last payment on our other line of credit. When that day comes I'll be LIT because it will open up yet another $500 each month for us to really throw at this debt in addition to what we freed up today!! It's at this point that the end will be in sight for us! Kind of like when a runner hits his second wind during a marathon. I imagine that's what it's going to feel like!

While I'm here I really just have to testify of how good God has been to us as of late. He's really been carrying us through some of these trying financial times. I can truly say there has been NO lack in my house even during the leanest of times. There have been nights where my wife and I would look in the fridge and see nothing that would make a meal...I mean the jount would be BARE! But by the end of the night when my wife was done cooking whatever was available we were full and satisfied. I dunno. Maybe you've never been THERE before but I know someone reading this (besides my wife and I) is feeling what I'm saying right here.

The word says in Psalms 34;1-9...

(King James Version)

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

His word is true, and the events we've watched Him carry us through lately bear witness to that...

See ya next time,

@W