At the beginning of June, hubby and I started planning his birthday. For his party, he wanted to go to Hana Sushi after church for lunch, and then swim in his dad and step-mom's pool, open presents and eat cake. He told me who he wanted to invite, and I started making phone calls. Almost everyone on the guest list was available. But, there were comments about the price of the restaurant. In all fairness, $40 per person for the buffet is expensive. But it's his birthday and that's what he wanted. The family members who felt that it was too expensive said that they would simply get a few things off the menu instead and avoid the buffet price. At first, I thought they were simply being cheap and that once I made my announcement, it would change things. In the end, it didn't change their minds/plans, and I learned a few lessons in budgeting and such. Lessons that were a blessing. That being said, traditionally, I'm a cheapskate. Anyways, I make the announcement that I will be paying the bill. The whole bill. I figured it would also change their minds about ordering three things off the menu and getting the buffet instead. (Not that I think that they would take advantage of my generosity or anything). And I'm glad that it didn't. Not because it would reduce the bill, but because I would then learn that for a small eater like myself, it's the better option, plus the portions off the menu are much bigger than those of the buffet. I've never considered ordering from the menu at this restaurant because I was simply introduced to the restaurant as a buffet and never thought about other options. Anyway, back to the story.
They briefly tried to argue that I didn't need to pay for them, and then hubby and I explained how God put it on my heart to do so.
So after the initial invitations went out and the comments about the price were shared, hubby and I discussed helping people out with their bills, but we hadn't made any decisions.
While I was at work, I was thinking about it. Thinking about paying their entire bill. Not that they need assistance, but simply to bless them. Then I thought about how there were other family members who would struggle to pay their bills. So then I thought, "add them too." Then I realized that there were only two guests left on the list and thought, "heck, add them too." So I did the math of what the bill might look like. It was a big enough number, but I wasn't feeling worried about it (normally I would start paicking at this point). Then I divided the number up according to overtime pay and how many weeks of overtime it would take to save up for it. The number was doable. So I made the decision that I wanted to do it. I wanted to pay for everyone. Hubby picked me up at the end of the day, and after a quick stop at Walmart, I told him what I wanted to do. He was shocked by it at first, which is to be expected. Because it was a big number, and traditionally, I'm a cheapskate and would never think of such a thing. I told him my plan, and we continued to discuss it. He was feeling nervous and was trying not to throw cold water all over my blessing. We prayed and talked more about it. He then said, "What would Jesus do?" I quickly replied, "He paid it all." I then added that I felt complete peace over it. Which is usually a sign that it's the right thing to do. We then decided to go through with it. Hubby figured that God was using me to stretch his faith. He recently read "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, which changed his life, and I am slowly working through it as well. We believe that the book taught my hubby to be more generous than he already was, and He is now working on my not-so-generous heart. Then we had to keep it a secret for the next month. Which was really hard because the closer the day came, the more excited I got.
Finally, hubby's birthday arrived. We attended church as usual and then headed to the restaurant. I got so excited that I made my announcement long before I should have. But, oh well. Everyone was surprised and thankful, and I was excited to pay. I had also wondered if this gesture would result in "hot coles landing on one of our guests' heads" for being cheap. It wasn't my main reason by any means. Just a little bonus. Well, turns out God had other plans, and the coles landed on my head and I learned a few lessons. Of which I am thankful. Proverbs 25:21-22.
I now understand the verse, "it's better to give than receive." Acts 20:35. Like many people, I like to receive a gift. Well, that weekend God blessed me with the understanding of that verse, and I, too, can say that it is better to give than to receive. It brought me so much joy to pay for everyone's food, and I look forward to the next time God calls me to bless someone. Also, three people were not able to make it to the restaurant, and then half the guests ended up ordering straight from the menu. So the bill was half of what I had originally planned. Which in and of itself was also a blessing. Although we were a little sad that the three people couldn't make it in the end.
I then spent a few days on a high from the whole experience, and even now, a few weeks after hubby's birthday, I am feeling emotional about that experience all over again, while I type this up. I am so thankful that I was obedient to God's call on my heart because I was just as blessed as everyone else at the table that day.
I pray that this blesses, encourages or challenges you today in your walk with Christ.
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