January 11 – “Unbalanced”

I had another of those in credibly frustrating experiences yesterday, and it spilled over into today.  It was time again to balance the checkbook.  It should be an easy task, even when I leave something out or discover an error in addition or subtraction (although those have been fewer and fewer since I decided never to trust my own mathematical genius and to let the calculator do what it was designed to do).  I don't have all our finances entered into the computer.  I know that's supposed to be the way to go nowadays, but I still like the satisfaction of having it all add up.     My personal system also keeps track of our credit card purchases.  Whenever we use the card, I delete that amount from the account just as if we wrote a check.  Then we can pay off the entire balance at the end of each month.  It provides us with a pretty accurate paper trail of our purchases, and it doesn't make me feel like we are using money we don't have.  I like being out of debt, and I want to keep it that way, even on paper.  It makes for an interesting look in our checkbook, but I think the system is pretty basic credit and debit accounting stuff.  I'm sure it's a piece of cake for somebody who likes math.  That person doesn't live at our house, though, so I get to do it.   Now for the last several months it has been cooperating nicely.  But not so much this time.  I was off somewhere, and I couldn't find it.  That meant I had to search not only the bank statement, but also the credit card statement.  I did discover one charge I forgot to post, so I took care of that.  But that correction only intensified the error.  I clustered and crunched the numbers in every way I could think of.  Every time my numbers came up the same.  And every time my numbers didn't match the bank's.  By the exact same amount - $50.04.  This morning Chris even joined in the fray.  She called out numbers and I added and subtracted on the calculator.  Every time my numbers came up the same.  And every time my numbers didn't match the bank's.  By the exact same amount - $50.04.  Oh, I didn't mention that the discrepancy was in our favor.  They were saying we had that much more than I can account for.     I finally gave up.  I created a new entry line in the checkbook – "Mystery Amount."  Oh, I'll wait until next month's statement and see if I can find the error with more information.  But in the meantime, with that extra post, we are balanced.   James 2:14-18 says, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.'  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."   Father, help me maintain a balance with faith and deeds.  Amen.