Stooooooooory time!!!!
Once upon a time, 2 years ago I did a 48 state, 3 country roadtrip with my best friend Dan! If you've read any of my blogs before you already know all this cause i've mentioned it like…close to a million times so we're not gonna get into all that. We're just gonna use that for context so….actually….maybe this isn't really a story at all? Oh well…
The real point of this blog is this…. Up through that trip, I never ever cared about money…. Like at all. My motto was always that I'd rather die with a legacy than a paycheck and an empty funeral. All I wanted was to be remembered for the love and trust I had for Jesus, for going after the wildest of dreams, and for making an impact on the world that would echo through generations and ya know the funny thing about all that? God aaaaaalways provided! Like…. I lived such a life that if He didnt? I had no backup plan and I'd be done for!!! And not just in ways like oh here's a job…. I'm talking in ways like….I gained 40 pounds on our roadtrip from the number of steaks we ate as ppl would take us out to fancy restaurants at least once a week and meeting ppl at churches and within five minutes, they're writing us thousand dollar checks. That kinda favor! I don't preach the prosperity message in the sense of give for the purpose of getting stuff in return, but I've definitly noticed that it's a natural side effect of the kingdom that you reap what you sow and when you hangout with Jesus, stuff happens just as a natural reaction to being in His presence. I think we all have a grace zone where, once we're within it, everything just streamlines cause we're in alignment with what God's doing….He's crazy good.
So here everything's going great, fantastic influence, financially provided for, heck…. there were even times when we'd go somewhere that we had nowhere to stay and we'd meet ppl and they'd invite us to come stay with them and they'd become our new best friends…shear crazyness. And then suddenly one day our van breaks down and we get stuck in Ohio for a whole month and the entire time was just so stressful that at that point, Dan decided he wanted to go home, and while I decided to keep going on, I word for word told God one day "God, what you've done for me is awesome, but I just can't keep going like this. Once this trip is over, I wanna get a well paying job and pursue the American dream so I've got something to fall back on."
And just like that….BAM!…. I've spent up through yesterday with a total gear shift in life…. I went from being unmovably, unshakeably in love with Jesus and wanting to waste everything on Him to always having money as my main focus and Him as a "close second" and ya know… as much as I wanted to see Him stay at the top… He's a really jealous God and loves being number one so that whole close second just isn't His style and we kinda faded out of touch to the point where I still pursued Him, and I'd get legitametly confused over why we weren't so close anymore but just never took into account why that was. On top of all that, it just constantly felt like banging my head against a wall. I spent 6 months going to school to work on boats and the whole time it was a struggle. Then I moved to florida to find a boat job and it was a serious struggle to the point of not having any money for food for days at a time. Then I finally got on a boat and thought it was gonna be better but I was coooonstantly stressed and not at peace and fearful etc. Then I tried to get on another boat I was convinced was my dream boat and I'd be an absolute shoe in for and totally failed. Then I got out of yachting to get back into ministry but still was looking for a way to financially pay off my trip out of pocket and out of fundraisers that I put all the work into etc, and though I could have had a million minimum wage paying jobs, I refused to apply for any instead pursuing a job at the local lumber mill that paid great! Then, after a grueling 3 month long weeding and interview process for said mill job, right when I thought it was mine, they labor union decided to go on strike Tuesday.
I was destraught….completely undone. I was laying on the couch having a pity party going God… why me??? I'm trying to give everything to serve you and this is my reward!!!!
And then God responded…. "Jed….why me??? After all I've done for you, this is my reward???"
Needless to say….there were quite a few tears….
Duuuuuuuh….what's wrong with me??? Jesus already has it all! Not in some cookie cutter, christian cliche way….but He really truly has it all, and I'd experienced it all for so long and then walked away from it and watched it fail for 2 years strait.
Oh Jesus how I just want you! And I wanna do whatever it takes or whatever it looks like to just hangout with you and love on you!!! You've always provided for me when I was in right relationship with you and I know you always will when I trust you to actually do it for the right reasons!!! Let's get back together Jesus! Like we used to be, but better!
Within an hour of that prayer I get a call from my spiritual dad:
Stan: Hey Jed! I've got great news! I just got called by someone at the mill and I gave them a really stellar recommendation for you!
Jed: Stan that's awesome! Thanks so much! Hey I'm gonna be down in Astoria this weekend, let's grab lunch??
Stan: Sounds great buddy! Hey, you wanna just work for me on Saturday? I've got a job I need you to do and I know you could use the money!
Jed: Sounds great! I'll see you soon!
Within three minutes of that call:
Mill: Hi is this Jed? We want to know if you're still interested in working for us!
Jed: Yes, absolutely!!! I'd love it!
Mill: Great! Can you start tomorrow???
Jed: Yes, absolutely!
Email from Mill: We know you applied for this entry level position but we want you to come work for us at the next job up which includes a pay raise and better benefits.
Jesuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!!!!!!!!! Just like that???? I mean…. I just prayed and shifted my heart like an hour ago!
Jesus: Yes, just like that, because I love you and I'm so excited you're back. You're gonna change the world and I've always planned to provide.
Oh Jesus…. I love the things you do to my heart. Be mine forever?
Daddy's got you…. There's so many principles and promises in the bible we shoudl stand on but like….something about them just clicks when we go after Him without agenda and just want Him. He's looking for ppl like that and He has soooo many blessings just waiting for them.
That could totally be you if it isn't already. What's your heart's motive? Are you in love with Jesus just to be in love with Him and as a natural reaction you're looking for ways to show His goodness to others? He loves drawing close to those who draw close to Him, in fact He gets downright excited over it.
Go be that clean and spotless bride and just pursue Him like a groom and see what He does. I dare you!
