Home Sweet Home

After a long trip, I am home.

I planned to be away from home for about 3 weeks, but last Friday (1 week ago) I received a call that my grandma had taken a fall, and that she was not doing so well.  I said that if I was needed, I would go to Minnesota that Monday to help her around the house, which I ended up doing.

It was great to be there, though I wish it could have been through different circumstances.  I got to see some family whom I haven't seen in a while, and also get connected with a church who may want to become a partner with me in my missionary journey to Macau!

Well, now that I am home I get to do fun things. Like unpack. And do laundry. And clean my room after it inevitably will get dirty when I bring all of my luggage inside from the car.  Speaking of, I should do that before it gets dark.

I just want to leave you with a thought today.  As I was in Wisconsin and Minnesota this past month, I realized how much it costs to live.  That would be a lot.  When my parents take care of me, I don't have to pay much.  But now that I am a big girl, I sometimes have to buy groceries and stuff, and I always pay for my own gas.  Without a job right now, that's kind of hard to pay for.  The worst part is that while I was in WI and MN, the gas prices JUMPED way high!  They are up to $3.54/gal in Minnesota, and I don't know what they are in Sioux Falls because I don't pass any gas stations on my way home in town.  But anyway, that's a lot.  I am assuming that they are just going up.

The cost of living is very high.  It may be higher in some locations than others, but it is pretty high overall in the United States, and in other countries as well.  But think about it: the cost of Life is even more.  The cost of Life is death, because we are sinful.  Try as we might, we cannot get out of that payment alone.  Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death." It's a debt that must be paid.  But it has already been paid: take a look at the second part of the verse! "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Since we could not get out of it alone, God sent his one and only Son to pay that price for us.  He paid our cost of Living for us.

As the cost of living continues to rise, remember that the cost of Living eternally in Heaven has been paid in full for us!  Thank God for His continuing presence, and for His protection in our lives!