Share Your Story (Meet Mindy Carettini)

Because I hunger for stories about giving, I love Share Your Story. These sort-of-biweekly guests challenge me to search, see, and acknowledge the joy in giving simple, daily gifts and complex, colossal-sized treasures.

Meet Mindy from Very Unfinished Product. I first heard Mindy’s voice in this amazing piece, and I’ve been clicking around her place ever since. Here’s Mindy.

My husband is a pastor. We are dependant on God’s people giving to the church as our way of providing for our family. It’s helpful in viewing our income as a direct gift from God, although everyone’s is. He has been so faithful and blessed us more than we could have ever imagined!

In 2009, Jason and I took a step of faith and began the process of planting a church. We went from working at an established church with a “secure” financial plan, to raising our salary and budget for our baby church plant.

We also had our third child in 2009. After I delivered Sarah, I had several complications. Complications that led to two ER visits, three surgeries, physical therapy, steroid injections, and the list goes on.

Here we were, about to leave our “safe” church and start a new work that God had called us to and the medical bills were piling up faster than we could keep track.

Over the course of my illness, I was so thankful for the way my husband handled the stress of our bills. I know that he struggles somewhat with trying to gain financial security, (what man doesn’t?). I never felt the weight or stress of his concerns through his behavior towards me. He was very gracious and just wanted me to get better, no matter the cost. I was so thankful and it was one less thing that I really worried about.

After the dust settled, we were left with about $10,000 in medical bills. Ten thousand dollars that we didn’t have and that we knew was going to take a while for us to pay off. Jason has admitted that there were days that he was tempted not to tithe, and instead to pay off a medical bill here and a medical bill there. But he didn’t. And we just kept trusting in God that He would take care of our family like He always does.

One day Jason got a call from a friend at our previous church. Someone had dropped off an envelope addressed to our family. When Jason opened the card, inside was a cashier’s check for $10,000. He immediately had to sit down because he was certain he was going to pass out!! Then he came home and handed the card to me and I thought for sure it must have been a joke. I just kind of looked at him like, “um, this isn’t very funny. Why are you tricking me like this??”

It was real people. Very real. All I could think to myself was, “This is how much my daddy loves me.” This is a gift from my father in Heaven who loves me and wants to bless me. Why do I ever worry about anything? Why do I ever doubt? God isn’t bound by anything. All of the creation bows down to Him. All the money, it belongs to Him too. He can do whatever He wants with it. How silly am I to think that taking care of financial burdens is too insignificant for Him. How blessed am I to have a Daddy who loves me like that. Unbelievable.

Thank you Jesus. And thank you to the anonymous giver who was used mightily by God in our life.

Thank you, Mindy. Amazing proof that the seemingly too big is never too big for Him.

Interested in Sharing Your Story? Click here to find out how.

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