He Used My Shampoo!

I have been married for 9-years now and would have thought that I would have "matured" beyond some of the silly stuff.  I mean, I am this "oh-so-good" Christian wife and all, right?  As my friend would say to me, "blah, blah, blah."  Whatever!  I would think that after almost 10-years of marriage I wouldn't have certain things rise up in me anymore, but alas, it's obvious that I still have some growing to do.  Here's how I know.

Eddie and I live on a pretty strict budget.  We allocate a few bucks a month to each other for what we call "hair and beauty" items.  I strongly suggested to make this a part of our budget because I was finding that things like eye-brow arching and make-up purchases were not being alloted for in the general budget.  So now I have a few bucks, and I do mean few, to spend on things like this.  I don't need a whole lot seeing that I don't have to do too much to my hair.  I wear it natural (which is non-chemically processed or relaxed for my non-black readers), so my needs are minimal, but I do like to purchase nice, quality things when I do spend.  I recently purchased some shampoo that costs $12 a bottle, per 8oz bottle!  I do, however really like it.

So, I must share a background story first before I go on.  A couple of months ago I purchased a vitamin supplement  with MY budgeted health and beauty money that cost about $25.  I used it for awhile and then stopped.  When I went back to start using it again, IT WAS ALL GONE!!!  Eddie used it all up!  I was more than a little "touched" by this, and I did speak to Eddie about it - kindly I will add .  But I definitely brought it up to him because after all, that was MY MONEY I spent on that stuff!

OK, so on to the shampoo (you should really know where I'm going with this).  I go into the bathroom tonight to take a shower immediately after Eddie comes out of the bathroom from taking his shower and WHAT DO I SMELL???  MY SHAMPOO!!!  I don't believe this!  So YES here I am again a little "touched" by this situation, but I go ahead and get into the shower hoping to calm down a little, and wouldn't you know that God got in there with me.  He was like, "What is your problem child?!" I was like, "I know, I know...this is really silly.  But this is really bothering me.  Can you help me out with this?"  And of course He did.

There are two ways (at least) that I could Biblically respond to this:

1. Speak the truth to Eddie, in love of course. Reading Ephesians 4:25 - 27 (NLT)

²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”^[a] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

There is no reason to get angry about this.  I mean c'mon.  Eddie is not out to get me or doing anything remotely similiar to causing me harm.  It's just a little shampoo for crying out loud, and he was probably only using it because he was out of his own.  If it bothers me, all I have to do is tell him about it. There is no need to allow this to nag at me and create an area of strife or tension between him and I.

I do believe, however, there is a higher response that God is trying to get me to.  

2. Give to Eddie freely, continually, and without expecting anything from him in return.

Reading Luke 6: 29 - 36 (NLT)

²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. ³⁰ Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. ³¹ Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

 ³² “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! ³³ And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! ³⁴ And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

 ³⁵ “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. ³⁶ You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Now, of course Eddie is not my enemy nor a sinner, that's not what I am saying.  It's the principle of this passage that I'm trying to get too.  It's talking about giving with your hand open, being generous without an expected return from man...and a man that is an enemy at that!  If Jesus instructed me to give freely with openness and generousity - doing good without expecting to be repaid - to those who don't love me, then how much more should I give freely with an open hand to the ones that do?  Eddie loves me more than anyone I know.  Why am I trippin' over $1.50 an ounce in shampoo???  (I feel stupider and stupider the more I type).  I believe God wants to get me to the point that I offer these things to Eddie without selfish hesitation in order to show His goodness to him.  And isn't God big enough to get me some more shampoo If I wanted some anyway???

Now I know that some of you may read this and think, "Dang Deanna, how selfish can you be?"  I know, I know.  This is just silly.  But I was thinking that if God was good enough to deal with me about this, then maybe someone else may need to hear it too.  I sure hope it helped someone!