By Small & Simple Things

Alma 37:6-7

" Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold, I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Once again, the Lord delivers an answer to my question. I read this scripture this morning ~ last night I went to bed pondering how and why stopping payments into a 401K while getting "gazelle intense" to pay off debt causes a person to succeed in the long term. When a person pulls out the calculator and does the math, it doesn't make sense. The "wise" person with the calculator kicks and screams and says, "No! It can't be possible to get ahead if you don't contribute to the 401K!!! No, no, no!"

However, the Lord has directed his people to get out of debt as quickly as they can and stay out of debt. To me, getting out of debt as quickly as possible means scraping together as much money each month as possible, including stopping the payments to the 401K. For us, this would be such a small amount each month in comparison to all the rest of the $$ we toss at debt. Will that hundred dollars or so really make a difference in the overall debt picture?

Is this one of those instances that a small and simple thing like stopping 401K payments until we are out of debt really will bring great things to pass, even though others might consider it foolish? I know that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that the Lord "doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round." (Alma 37:12) I must remember that if I keep his commandments, one of which is to get out of debt as quickly as possible, that "ye shall prosper in the land." (Alma 37:13).

I guess that when Mr. Amazing Man gets home, we have a few things to tackle, one of which is temporarily stopping payments to his employer retirement until we are debt free, student loans and all.

I stand corrected.

Mr. Amazing Man wrote me this, after a brief conversation on the phone shortly after my pity-party session:

First of all, sometimes the dumbest things come out of your mouth. What makes you think that you are remotely in competition with my job, past or present? It absolutely flabbergasts me that you could think something like that. (You should have seen the look on my face.) Now, I'm not disputing that you think that. I know you do because you told me. It's just that it is NOT TRUE, so don't waste your time imagining or thinking that it is true. Perhaps I'm horrible about telling you and Matthew and Luke how much I love and miss you guys. I'm sure I am. Truth is, you three (and you're at the top of the list, cute and wonderful as Matthew and Luke are), are the most important things in my life. I simply do not have the either the words or the ability to tell you three how much I love and miss and cherish you. It is the most wonderful thing in the world just to BE WITH YOU. And thinking of you, when I'm away is almost as good. It is such an absolute warm fuzzy to think of you three and what you're doing and what we'll do when were next together.

So I guess I can compete. And I do say the stupidest things sometimes.

Simply Put, I Can't Compete

So I was looking at some pictures of Mr. Amazing back before he married me, back when he was an action guy. He still is an action guy, I just don't get to see pictures now because...well, I don't know why actually.

At any rate, I was going through an album of his with Professor Poopy Pants, looking for pictures to put in a little photo book for him so that he can remember what his dad looks like and I was left with a very disheartened feeling. The pictures were amazing ~ they were from all kinds of exotic locales of him doing all kinds of things: scuba diving, HALO jumping with oxygen masks into the ocean, shooting guns of all kinds, skin diving, lounging on beaches, blowing things up, fast roping out of helicopters.

First, I miss him. Terribly. Second, now I see why he doesn't want to find a different job. Third, how can I compete with a job like that? Fourth, I really am always going to be sloppy seconds to that, aren't I? Doesn't matter how thin I am, how accomplished I become, how competent I am ~ I can't compare to a life like that.

Being married to an international man of mystery sucks. Bottom line.