Imagine the kind of Sunday morning where you wake up slowly, wrap up under large, warm blankets, maybe you make some scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. All morning you sip a fresh cup of coffee (or two) as you get dressed for church. Relaxing vibes flow through your smile, and you just feel really good about today. Fast forward to driving to church and you start to get out of the car, and that’s when sudden panic hits you. You forgot to brush your teeth before leaving.
I mean, you brushed your teeth at some point this morning, so it’s not having dirty teeth that worries you. No, no. It’s your breath. That fresh cup of smooth dark roast has lingered among your taste buds leaving behind an aroma of cold, stale caffeine every time you exhale. You frantically search for a piece of gum that may have fallen into your purse or coat pocket. You even go so far as to carefully calculate how far away your whisper will travel to see if it’s worth putting the nearest person in grave danger to ask if they have gum. No luck. Now you’re forced to spend all morning keeping a safe distance from anyone that you care about to spare their senses from disgust.
Sound familiar? Well, to me this scenario sounds exactly like my fundraising so far. Or at least my perception of the fundraising process. I’ll explain.
I started out the World Race with a rather relaxed and trusting mind frame. God was going to provide my funds. Just like making my own breakfast and brewing my own coffee, I had to make the effort through letters, phone calls, and fundraisers. Then, God would provide the chill vibes throughout the morning and bring the funds in. Yes, there would be work, but all in all it was going to come together.
That’s when I started to get out of the car and pay attention to my breath. I started recalling the last time I went on a missions trip to Fiji. See, that fundraising project was basically placed in my lap where all the steps were clearly laid out each step of the way, and I had sources to fall back on to make sure I was fully funded. Suddenly, raising three times the amount of funds on my own for the World Race seemed entirely overwhelming and impossible. For weeks I’ve been turning to everyone hoping that venting about my fears would result in someone handing me “a piece of gum” that would magically send my fears away and get me back on the fundraising track.
Today, it finally dawned on me that I have never been one to be self conscious of my coffee breath. Actually, a week ago I was walking into church sharing how I was really excited to have coffee breath because it continuously reminds me throughout church of the goodness I enjoyed that morning.
Of course fundraising in the past may have felt easy at times, but only because God had his hand all over that trip and provided exactly what I needed at the right times. I’ve been putting too much emphasis on the role I play in fundraising and forgetting that, once again, God will provide exactly what I need each and every morning. Instead of fearfully searching for gum, I need to be embracing and celebrating my coffee breath and all that it represents.
In fact, here’s a celebration I am so excited to share. While I’ve been over here freaking out over silly, little things, God has been busy placing nearly 15% of my funding into my hands. I am halfway to my first goal of raising $5,000 before May. I am so grateful to all of YOU who have supported me so far! There are no words to describe how blessed I have been by everyone’s eagerness to support me financially and in responses to my blog. Keep up the encouragement friends, I definitely need it!
