Than you can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with in us. Ephesians 3:20
This verse has been one ringing in my head recently and came to fruition yesterday and then some.
As many of you know, when you choose to sign up for the world race, you sign up for the ups and downs of fundraising as well. You sign up for the impending deadlines and the frantic all-calls on social media, you sign up for the sleepless, worry-filled, tear ridden nights, you sign up for the letters and the events, but most of all, you sign up for the possibility of God showing up and blowing your socks off with his faithfulness and provision.
The last few weeks have been probably some of the most stressful I have faced since graduating college. I have been worried about my upcoming deadline and not having enough to go to training camp, let alone the race. I remember when I was at $2300 a few weeks back and thinking,
“I am never going to get there.”
But then I got busy and life took over and I was thinking about fundraising less often, only checking my page once a day, if that. God was filling my life with other things that kept my mind off of it. Donations started to trickle in. Gradually, I was inching myself closer and closer to my goal. This weekend as I prepared for my fundraiser, a yard sale, I was at $3777, so I could see my goal in the not so far distance, but needing $1223 more was scary and seemed impossible. I didn’t have a whole bunch donated to my yard sale, but things started to be dropped off and picked up and the garage (and my tiny apartment) was starting to fill up with donations. I still only saw maybe $300 or $400 of stuff maybe, if I was lucky.
Day one of my sale went really well, and I exceeded my expectation by $200, I made a little over $600 that first day, and I still had day two ahead of me. I had a slower day on Sunday because of a football game airing at the same time. We take football very seriously in Washington, Go Seahawks! But God still showed me he was in control and was going to provide. I was $289 away from meeting my goal, that was crazy to me! I was so close. Here is the cool part, I had a friend step up to pay the difference, and then a few more step up to donate as well, including an anonymous donor who donated $440, putting me above and beyond what I needed. God was trying to show me, “Katy, I’ve got this. You asked me to provide for you, and here I am.”
He showed up big time, and then he just continued to bless me. I was listening to the radio last week and heard a promotion the station was doing called “The spirit of giving” They give a listener $500, and another $500 to give to a cause of their choice. My best friend signed up for this online last week and we forgot all about it. Until yesterday, when she won. She won the $1000 dollars and wants to donate it all to my trip. I wanted to cry when I found out.
So now I am $9,802 from being fully funded, I am $3,185 away from my second deadline. This time a week ago, I was almost that much away from meeting my first deadline. God is so good.
He can do IMMEASURABLY MORE than we can ask or imagine.
But here is the thing, we need to ask. We cant just keep thinking, “Oh, God’s got this, I am going to be fine.” and not be in continuous prayer of yearning and thanksgiving to him. He calls us to want him, to need him, to rely on him, because when we try to do it ourselves, we fail. EVERY TIME. Be prayerful, pray specific prayers, and allow God the space to show up and blow you away with his faithfulness.
You are loved dear friends.
