We "lost" our van recently - well, a month ago! We have been sharing one vehicle for a month now and realizing that it is somewhat difficult to do when you have a husband in the ministry! Every time I keep the truck for errands, he gets called away somewhere and has to have it back! :)

Anyway, some wonderful friends of ours took us to Jackson for a car auction last week and we were able to get a new van at the auction! We had saved some cash and had a tax return - so we were able to get a van with just what we had!



All of this made a great lesson for our boys...leave it to Daddy to turn every event into a teaching moment! We were able to talk with our boys about how God had answered our prayers for a new vehicle, how He gave us more than what we had asked for and how we were able to get a great vehicle without going into debt! We have been working with the boys on understanding debt and what it is - we have, several times, offered them games or toys that they can purchase on credit through us! Then, they will have to pay us back with interest! While it is tempting for them...they have each time decided that it was better to wait for what they wanted than to go into debt to get it....the test was when it was something we needed - like the van! Of course, "needed" is a strong word - we were able to make it fine with one vehicle for the month, even if it was an inconvenience....

Guess we are all faced with this same test all the time...every time we see a gadget, an electronic or a "toy" for grown ups that we want....everytime we think we "need" a new grill or a dress....how much are we willing to go into debt to get what we want? Or are we willing to wait to get what we want with cash?