March hadn’t even fully arrived yet and the shock over higher costs of things like renter’s insurance, rent, and cab fare had me wondering whether taking a financial survival course would have been a better idea. But even with these things rising, having faith kept despair from setting in by remembering who steered the boat.
In January there were two shocks waiting for me. My Allstate agent informed me that my renter’s insurance rose a whopping $61 due to the numerous claims filed in Houston, Texas after last summer’s flood. Then, the assistant manager of my apartment complex informed me of a $10 raise in rent. For almost five years, the rent stayed at $475. Now $485, due to a rise in market value, my rent was adjusted to match. It took three weeks paying off my near $260 claim in three payments of $86. For me, this was rather high, but there weren’t any reductions to be had. The only thing that would’ve reduced my rate was having a car, which for me was as elusive as winning the lottery. The good news was, my renter’s insurance came around once a year. My agent said she would look for a way to bring the cost down. The assistant manager of my apartment complex reduced my rent by $5.
In February came a third shock. Several of the Skylark Taxi drivers informed me that their rates were going up March 1. There was talk of sequester cuts at this time, which made this worse. After checking their web page several times during the month, the only thing known by the taxi drivers was the fare for the extra passenger was rising by $1. It had been almost seven years since the last hike in taxi rates. This raise in rates might have slowed down traveling in general, not just to the knitting class, depending how high cab rates went.
For me, wondering whether a course in financial survival would have been better. Faith in action was what it took to avoid despair. Hebrews 11:1 gave a good definition: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (NIV). To further the point, by reading Mark 4:39:41 believers knew who was in charge of the boat at the controls:
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still! ”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (NIV)
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