I want my funds, and I want them now. But that’s not how God works. Over the last few months I have learned a great deal about patience, slowing down, and trusting God. See I had this preconceived notion prior to fund raising that as soon as the world knew what I was doing the funds would just happen to come through, right away, in a week. But instead, there was a lesson for me to learn through this.
You see right now as I am writing this article I have about $8800 of funds raised, and my next deadline is but a short 5 days away, and I am about $1200 short. I’m not worried, because this is also where I was at on my last deadline. And God came through, he had a buzzer finish, but it was AWESOME. I know God has anointed my heart for this mission. Therefore I know where his will is, there also, is his provision. If you think $1200 (USD) in 5 days is impossible, then good because then your about to watch the impossible happen.
But still, why hasn’t he just provide all the funds like I wanted? isn’t it a good calling, for a good purpose, to serve the great God of creation!?
but why should he? Why should he provide all the funds in one fell swoop? what would I learn through that!? You see in north America we live in what I call the green light district, and we’ve tried to squish god into that same box. Which is a bad idea, we have this idea of instant everything. Super mega high speed internet, money transfers, computers, food, even ministry and church!(yup just go to church and do a little something for someone and then your good). We live in a drive through culture, where our needs are made and met in a single day. We are so caught up in the high speed lifestyle, that we miss out on life itself, and most importantly the life that is around us. notice how anxious we get when we catch 3 red lights in a row!? but count the seconds you wait for it to go green again. i’ll bet you its no more than 100 seconds.
Yet we get SO angry, and upset that we have to stop, and slow down, even just for a moment. But it is such a good thing,why? because you actually take a look around! you fully see your surroundings, in fact I’ll almost bet the first thing you do when you pull up to a red light is look at the driver beside you. you look left, then right (then hopefully you do some checks for pedestrians, hazards etc.). But still you actually look around, see the expression on other drivers face, and if your crazy like me, you start a rock paper scissors match with the drivers around you.
You can’t do that when your zipping through your green lights, or on deer foot trail. you notice how hard it is to experience scenery when your driving along! if you’ve every been to Banff, you know it is hard to experience scenery when driving, you need to slow down, or maybe even stop, get some fresh air and take in God’s wonderful creation.
It’s hard to see the expression on a pedestrians face when your going through a green light, but when you stop, you can truly see whats going on, what kind of emotion is that person wearing? Perhaps there is something you can pray for, or over that person? Crazy how that happens.
You see God has taught me so much over this last month about this! The green light district is as dangerous as the red light district, we just don’t notice it because were too focused on going every place, rather than seeing any place. It’s kind of like when you are on vacation and all you do is take pictures, and you don’t even realize how beautiful it really was until you get home and LOOK at those pictures, then you realize you didn’t really take it in while your there. because you were too busy checking off every stop and place on your list rather than experiencing those places. I know this because I did this when I went to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Just slow down and experience it. there is greatness in doing it!
In Calgary here it is very evident that we live in a green light district, everyone thinks that Calgary is great, and wonderful and nothing but that. However if you stop and look around you would realize that Calgary is a huge center for human trafficking, that the girl on the street corner late at night is there out of desperation, hurt, and hoplessness. But we don’t notice, or care to stop because we have a place to get to, and we got to get to it now, and dare we just slow down. I’m not saying Calgary sucks by any means, it is actually one of my favorite places in the world. But can we just stop, slow down and actually realize that people around us, immediately beside us, are needing love, community, a hug, or a prayer!?
This is the lesson God has put on my heart that I have learned this last month, he has said “no Thomas I will not give you the funds right away, i want you to learn to slow down, and take it in, have faith, watch me as I work in your life. “
You see when we zip through the drive through for our food its quick, with minimal interaction or involvement, so by having a culture that matches that means we have a culture of lonely unnoticed, beautiful people. By God not providing the funds as instant as i want them to. It allows me to grow in faith, but also in community. To help those immediately around me, and even invite them into the journey, to give up a few things, for a great thing. In selling what I have for this mission, (including leaving the ministries I am a part of). It is as if i am dropping whats in my hands, to openly accept wholly what God has for me. It is allowing me not to worry about keeping up, but about slowing down and observing fully my surroundings. Ironically this 11 countries in 11 months is causing me to slow down and see that the green light district is not the way god intended me to live.
In the end I am just sharing the lesson I have learned, I love to tell people my experiences so hopefully my ceiling can be their floor. that they would learn from my errors, and hear my discoveries, and also take something from them.
I leave you with a challenge, to slow down in life a bit, observe what is going on around you rather than racing with tunnel vision towards your own goals. see and fill a need around you, who cares if it costs you a few bucks, or a moment of your day. pray for a co worker, buy a stranger some coffee, start a rock paper scissors match at the next red light. its amazing the impact you can have in 100 seconds on the persons life beside you! It doesn’t take much, you just gotta slow down, and ask, then listen to what God has for you in that moment. By doing this the destination is the same, but the journey is so different. And hey if your at a red light, your not even loosing any time by praying for the person beside you. your only loosing the time you would of spent stewing about the stupid red light.
