SHOUT FOR JOY

Psalm 35:27 says, in part, "Shout for joy, and be glad."

And I'm shouting! You see, my husband and I just returned from grocery shopping. And guess what? We saved almost $90! Wow! How did that happen? Well, there were the sales, of course. Then this was "Buy one -- get one free" week. Besides that, we got some $2-off coupons in the mail -- good today and tomorrow only. A friend of ours gave us her coupons, too, as she shops elsewhere. So we stopped at the deli where there was a 5-piece chicken deal for $5.00. Using one of our coupons (for use in the deli only) brought the price down to $3.00. So Rex got a pkg. in his cart and I got a pkg. in my cart. Another coupon was for produce only. You know how expensive red and yellow sweet peppers are. Today they were 2 for $3.00, less the $2-off coupon! So I got two peppers (that made them only 50 cents each)! Rex used his coupon on broccoli and cauliflower. When we saw peanut butter "Buy One, Get One Free," I got two of them as did Rex. Hey, it'll keep, and I use a lot of it anyway. I won't take the space to list all the other bargains such as meat, Kleenex, salad dressing, etc. Take my word for it -- the savings were enough to make me shout!

You see, I can't pass up a bargain. In my younger years when I could walk more easily, I was in seventh heaven whenever I found a thrift store. Arthritis and lumbar stenosis has changed that, and, oh -- how I miss it! However, one day this week, I did take my little motorized scooter (which I seldom need to use any more) into a rather large thrift shop. I found a lovely long-sleeve, wrinkle-free blouse in my size for $6.99. And I do need warm winter blouses. Now it slays me to pay even THAT much for a blouse, even in a thrift store. But I noticed it was brand new and the original sales tag was still on it which said $74.00. Hey, I'll pay $6.99 for a new blouse any day! And again I was shouting for joy! (I tried jumping, but my jumping days are over!)

On a more serious note, as we get into this New Year, let's look for reasons to "shout for joy and be glad." Not just over grocery sales and other bargains, but over spiritual things! Read the Psalms and keep a sharp eye out for circumstances which caused the Psalmist David to shout. Then let's turn those same blessings into personal blessings and begin to shout, too!

That will also make us "glad" as our Scripture declares.

Preacher's Kid