At My Place: A Sacrifice Poured Out

Yes, there is a concluding installment to last week's report on doing Income Tax.

After devoting 3 or more hours a day to the Income Tax forms for my friend's friend last week - (for 5 days out of 7) and doing her forms over several times, I finally felt I had a good set of pages, with good math all done, so I phoned her and said I would bring her forms to her on Friday afternoon.

She asked if I'd included the new furnace she'd had installed in December. I assured her I had not found any such a receipt in all the bundles she had given me. She phoned back later to say she'd found the receipt at home, and that she had called a man she had intended to call earlier. He had agreed to come to her place Friday morning and he would do her income tax. She still wanted me to come, and of course, I had her other receipts.

I rearranged my schedule so that I could leave home shortly after breakfast, but I stopped to fill up with gas to make sure I could get back, and I also bought a box of big brown manila envelopes. I'd used the last of the ones I'd had for her forms, but there were not enough.

When I got there, a nice friendly older gentleman sat at her table with a laptop and a small printer. As we chatted I learned that he had worked at two different banks in his working career, and also for H&R Block - the best known company that does income tax returns for customers!

The new friend wanted me to stay, and was eager to serve me lunch. I sat down a while in case this man had questions of me, but after a while I realized that he knew far more than I did about these things, he was uploading his version of her forms right to CRA on the government website, and that my several re-dos of her income tax forms were all for nought!

I commended her for getting truly good help, and excused myself and left.

As you might imagine, my mind was filled with thoughts of the wasted hours and days of my past week! I had sacrificed my business hours and I had halted my own work on my income tax return! I rejoiced that she was getting perfect help now.

But....!! As my mind sputtered, spirit reminded me that I was in great danger of becoming bitter. I needed to put this loss in the Lord's hands, and let Him make it into a thing of beauty and benefit to me. (I still can't image how!)

A Bible story came to mind. King David has been in a battle, trapped in a bad spot by the enemy. He exclaimed that he longed for a cup of the water from the well in Bethlehem. Three of his most loyal captains decided to slip through the enemy lines, go to Bethlehem and bring David that water from the well in Bethlehem.

When they came back, successfully handing David the water, and when he heard what they had done to get it, David declared this water at such sacrifice had to be given to God. So he poured it out.

My experience loses something in the comparison, but I've been feeling since Friday that I must do that too; pour it out as a sacrificial gift to the LORD.

At all costs, I must resist becoming bitter. The sting is getting weaker. I was able to get my own Tax Return completed on the weekend. I owe nothing and will get he $500 Climate Action rebate. I just need to take it to the post office to mail. Hopefully today yet.

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