Juggle The Blessings

O.K., have you ever had a time when you weren't shure if God wanted to bless you with something or if He wanted you to bless someone with that same something? I mean you have the opportunity to take something and turn it into a blessing for yourself or you could bless someone else. Isn't that interesting how God works sometimes, it can seem confusing. Do you consider it a blessing from God to help your situation? or do you consider it a test to see if you will be a blessing to someone else? Erin and I have decided earlier on in our marriage that we wanted to give until it hurt. I don't mean that in a negative way just a way that's above and beyond what we know we can do. I am not saying that giving within your means is not a giving heart at all, just that maybe when we give beyond our comforts God REALLY jumps starts the blessings. I know we do not give to get, but Hebrews says that we must believe God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. We believe that when we give beyond what we...let's say budget for, that you really step out in God's territory which is FAITH. I am not saying that it doesn't take faith to give what we can, because clearly God honors a giving heart even when we budget it in and it is comfortable. I would even say that you are being wise to budget in giving and blessing others when it is financial giving. But maybe there is a zone of the unknown when we give till it hurts. I know for me it hurts to give sometimes when I know what I am giving could benefit me and I could in all honesty justify it by saying it is God blessing me and I need to receive it not give it away. I hope I am making sense, it's just my thoughts as of right now. All this to say, we want to live a life that would rather give until it hurts than hurt until we get. I would rather lean on the side of giving than lean on the side of receiving, though I will admit that is very hard for me to do with certain things. Just some thoughts, God bless, because He always takes care of His children no matter what the cost!