3 days ago I had my sense of assurance absolutely rocked.
I was given the information that I couldn’t attend my World Race training camp this weekend without having another $930 in donations in my mission fund. Not only that, but I would have had to delay my mission until July, instead of leaving in January. Not saying this would end the world, but this is definitely not the plan I believe God gave me, and there was less than a week for that to somehow change.
My Dilemma: Being underfunded for my first fundraising goal
My Options: 1) Get angry, panic and curse this entire process.
2) Do what I can to let the need be known and trust that God will do what He said He would do.
You see, whenever I feel so passionately about something that I know God has for me, as soon as I hit that inevitable obstacle I immediate doubt that it will happen. Never mind that God has NEVER let me down and ALWAYS completes what He says He will for me. Honestly, He has a flawless record!
To be candid, I feel like for most of my life I’ve chosen the first option. I typically blame it on being a youngest child; you know, believing it’s my right to tantrum out once I encounter a challenge. In truth, it has been my lack of faith and a fear of failure that has led me to doubt so much in the past . Despite my doubt, it takes no time for me to look back and see His faithfulness time and time again in my life.
However, that morning I decided to do something different…. I chose option #2. I decided to trust in Him from the start. No doubt. No panic. No pouting. Just pressing into Him and believing in the promise that He gave me.
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us: “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
This is what I want more than anything: to please God and Him alone. Not out of an obligation or some stale family tradition, but because He loves me. That is the greatest truth in my life, and He shows me His love every day in lavish ways.
After a time of intense prayer and seeking, I decided to solicit help from a broader audience. I announced my mission trip to literally, everyone I knew in the social media world. I put out a need to people that I may not have spoken to on an individual level in a very long time. This is not the comfortable thing in the world as you can guess, but I was very comfortable doing this.
I immediately was offered a very generous gift from some great friends in Scottsdale, as well as a great idea. They offered their gift as a means to gain momentum on my fundraising through a match offer; i.e. they would match what other people donated to my trip up to a certain amount. Very K-Love, and it definitely works. I know I first gave to a radio station that I support because of the same type of offer. I guess it’s the whole idea of joining together with others for the same cause. It sparks something inside of us. It is a commonality and unity in spirit.
Just like the Avengers.
Then came this morning….
This morning I woke up to an email from my Mission Mobilizer, Jessica Belkot. Along with the usual encouraging word and necessary information, it contained the following revelation:
"YOU HAVE MET YOUR DEADLINE AND YOU’RE CLEARED FOR TRAINING CAMP!!!!! Whahoooooooo! Happy Dance!!! :-)"
Wait…what?! You have to be kidding right?!?!
You see, I thought this was one of those things where I have to step out even further in my faith. I was to get n a plane to Georgia without the assurance that the funds would be there and be shocked by God showing up at the last minute. I mean how crazy would that be right?
Nope. God had other plans. You see, He decided that this time, He wanted to bless me through the generosity of others. He wanted to use those people that I was anxious about revealing my vulnerable situation to in order to accomplish His will; And not in a small way.
I not only had met my goal, it began to get blown out of the water. Gifts from people I would never have expected. Anonymous gifts too good to be true. Emails and calls from people pledging to support me more than once.
It was all too much to handle!!
Did I forget to mention that was only the things that had posted on Tuesday? You see, there is a 2 day delay on anything posting to my account because of the donation software.
SO IN JUST ONE DAY GOD PROVIDED MY NEEDS AND SO MUCH MORE!!!!!!
I'm completely overwhelmed. I spent that morning crying my eyes out and thanking God until couldn’t speak anymore. This is the most incredible display of love I could imagine. And its all just because He loves me. He has this plan for me, and He invites me to participate in it. He stirs the hearts of others to participate as well, while also blessing them in the process.
Philippians 4:19 says, "And the same God who takes care of me will supply all of your needs from His glorious riches, hich have been given to us in Christ Jesus. "
If you are in need, waiting for something you think seems daunting, I encorage you to keep faith, do as you can in action to see it happen, but mostly, get out of the way and watch what God does. That will truly shake you.
This is unreal, BUT IT’S SO INCREDIBLY REAL!!
His love is real and I can't start to thank Him enough. All I can offer is myself, completely abandoned for His work.
