We got over $1,500 today. $1,500! And we still had all the major
furniture left over, and two designer purses! Tonight I was sitting
with my sister and her husband, and we were just kind of dumbfounded.
Justin goes, “Well, He turned water into wine and fed 5,000 with 5
loaves and 2 fish.” How incredibly true is that! Our God is the God of
miracles. That’s all there is to it. We were two hours into it this
morning and counted up over $700– I looked around and it looked like
NOTHING was gone. How did we get that much?? And at the end of the day
we still had the 3 things that should have been the real money makers!
It was just totally the Lord, and I’m overwhelmed.
And we also felt blessed to be able to give today as well. At the
end of the day we had all this furniture left, and Jen and Justin just
felt that we weren’t meant to hold onto it. The Lord had provided 50%
MORE than what we had even prayed for, and we still had this surplus.
They have a friend who is badly in need of furniture, so they called
him up and gave it all to him.
Now, I’m human. And I’ll confess that I can feel the human part of
me wanting to stir up some indignation that “Hey! That’s another couple
hundred bucks we could have made!” But it honestly feels so good to let go.
That’s what the Lord is teaching me through all this. The purpose of
giving to missions and to people in need isn’t because it makes us feel
better about ourselves or because we feel some kind of “social
responsibility.” We give because it doesn’t belong to us in
the first place. We give because we aren’t meant to hold on to
everything at once. That’s what I’ve always done. I keep EVERYTHING
because I think, “Well maybe I’ll need it in the future!” But the truth
is that HE WILL PROVIDE!
I have heard wise men and women say all of this a thousand times.
But I really am seeing it in a whole new way– I think I’m truly
starting to understand it for the first time.
I keep seeing in my head a picture of someone trying to fight
against the current of a river, trying to stop the water from flowing
past them. Like creating a dam. That’s what I keep thinking of when I
want to be stingy about giving and I want to keep everything for myself
because “I need it!” It disrupts the flow. But I’m learning the lesson
that if I let go, if I give even when I feel like there won’t be enough
for me, there is blessing in that. A HUGE blessing in that. It takes
weight off– stockpiling is heavy business! And no matter how much
water we let go past us– more will keep coming– the river won’t run
dry. He will provide.
The people at Keystone Church continue to blow me away with their
generosity. They truly exemplify the Body of Christ, because there is
just a constant cycle of giving. And this week was a perfect example of
that. To everyone who donated stuff this week: I can’t thank you
enough.
I feel like I lived out the passage in Acts 2 about the first Church:
42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Praise the Lord!
Today
was just a fun day of work and fellowship and friends– I’m so
exhausted– but it’s totally worth it! My sister wrote an amazing blog
about the day’s blessings– read it here — jenthevideogirl.wordpress.com
A
HUGE HUGE HUGE thank-you to Heather D, Jen, and Justin– you guys were
so wonderful, I can’t thank you enough for all your hard work and for
giving up your time and your houses! I love you guys!
