I LOVE to repurpose things. Ask my mom, I have a closet full of “junk” still waiting to find it’s renewed, divine purpose in life. Some of it has been waiting a while. One of the things I love most is mason jars. They can be turned into so many wonderful things. You can use them as drinking glasses, candle holders, flower vases, craft containers, decorative chandeliers, and more things than you probably don’t care to read about. (If you do, check out Pinterest!)
My love of the mason jar had me thinking the Elisha and the widow. I’ve included the text here for a refresher.
2 Kings 4: 1-7
1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
This passage spoke to me in several ways. As you all know, I am currently raising support to participate in the World Race. I was getting kind of bummed the other day because my support has stopped coming in, at least as consistently as it did in the beginning. But God has blessed me in so many ways that I immediately felt shame for my ungrateful attitude. I saw my mason jars everywhere and He brought to mind this story Elisha and the widow with many debts. Now I am not in debt or have sons someone is coming to enslave, but I do have a sum of money I need to have, and I currently don’t have that amount.
As my first financial deadline approaches, I am reminded how lucky I am to have that goal met. But I don’t want to become complacent and let the next few deadlines creep up on me. I am asking my neighbors to prayerful consider giving me “jars.” Elisha told the widow to “ask all your neighbors.” God puts us in community to work together and take care of each other; to live in koinonia, fellowship. He also told her not to ask just for a few. Ask them to be generous and give. This is a hard thing to do because it puts you in a place of humility (which I am learning through fundraising).
Second, he doesn’t let the widow off the hook. “What do you have in your house?” He encourages her to look at her resources. What does she have to contribute to the solution? She had to use what was available to her. So do I. We each have talents, gifts, passions that all can be used for the Lord. I cannot expect others to simply do the work for me when I am the one called to serve. I must do my equal share.
It’s hard to believe it, but in just three and a half more months, I’ll be leaving for the adventure of a lifetime — 11 countries, 11 months, one unforgettable journey. I’m beyond excited to get started with the Race and cannot wait to see all that God is going to accomplish in my heart and around the world. There is a work going on in my heart even now, though at times I don’t understand it all.
Now, how can you help? What jars can you offer? There are two major ways — prayer and financial giving.
To complete the Race, I need to raise a total of $16,500. I’m 50% of the way toward my goal and any amount you can give is an incredible blessing. To those of you who have already given, THANK YOU! I couldn’t have made it this far without you.
Financial support is important, but even more important is prayer support. God is going to do some incredible things during the Race and my squad and I will need lots of prayer coverage as we share His love around the world. If you are interested in praying for me during my trip, please email me at [email protected].
Will you join me as I begin this crazy adventure? I sure hope so!
I will continue to update you on the ways I am working toward this goal. I have a few new EXCITING fundraisers coming up in the next two months so keep your eyes peeled! 🙂
