I’ve spent a lot of time this last year looking for physical signs of what God has in store for me. I constantly wonder what his purpose/plan is for me, and why he simply doesn’t just tell me what I’m supposed to do. I mean, fear of the unknown is a real thing isn’t it? Recently my pastor started a new sermon series called “Why.” One week he said something that really hit me. He said if God gave us the blueprints for our life right now, rather than rejoice, most of us wouldn’t believe it. For many of us, we wouldn’t like it and would try to change the outcome, assuming we could.
But that’s not even the worst part. The worst part is that this would prevent God from demonstrating his power, and the beauty of how He works all things together for good. If it was all about the destination, rather than the journey, we would be deprived of an opportunity to see how Christ provided for us along the way. So thus, He provides us with what we need, when we need it. I have found that tangible evidence of God’s love is not manifested solely in the gifts He gives us, (a spouse, a house, money, etc.) but rather in how He goes about it.
I was having a garage sale recently, trying to raise funds to meet my first deadline ($5,000). I wanted to make an announcement to my church two weeks in advance, but my Pastor told me to wait a week. As it turned out, I got so many donations in that one week, that I couldn’t have handled anymore, so I was thankful I held off. I thought I would have trouble gathering up all the donated items to be sold, but then the company we were working for called us off our project, and I got most of the week off. I didn’t think I would have any big ticket items to sell, but my church came together, and I had more than a dozen! I had roasted corn and cold drinks to accompany the garage sale, and while they didn’t do so hot the first day, they did great the second day! I thought I was gonna have to do it in a parking lot, but then a friend of ours came through and offered us his yard with tons of shade. I didn’t have immediate access to a trailer, but in the span of an hour, I had two. I don’t have an eye for pricing, but I had several ladies in my church volunteer to help me price things. Altogether, I was expecting $600-700, but in the end I made more than $3,000! Had I known ahead of time that I would make that much, I wouldn’t have believed it, and I merely would have complained that it wasn’t enough. But instead, I got to see Christ’s love for me when he provided a solution to every obstacle. It was for me tangible proof that He intends for me to be on The World Race. And just because he can, he took away my fear of reaching my next fundraising deadline.
I don’t know what He has in store for me on this trip, but I can’t wait to find out. I look forward to the destination, and being able to compare the man I will be when I return next September, to the man I am now. But I also eagerly await being able to look back and see how each step of the journey served His purpose, and helped transform me. I pray every day that Christ will continue to spiritually prepare me for this journey. He has given me enough assurance to know I am where I am supposed to be, and that He will provide for my physical needs. (Still gonna need some help with that, so don’t be afraid to click the donate link to the left!)
Anyways, God Bless and don’t forget to keep me and my squad mates in your prayers.
