September. The month of Tums, sleeping pills, yoga, screamo music, pillow fights, late night sprints, coffee, tackle football, and [insert preferred method of stress relief here].
You may notice as October 1st draws near that some members of our squad seem a little more on edge than normal. October 1st. Did you feel the shudders? It's our first deadline. We need $3,500 in our fundraising accounts by then. And as the days count down, sometimes it's tough to keep our heart rates from counting up…
But you know…it doesn't have to be that way…
And ideally, it shouldn't be. Because here's the truth: GOD has all the cows.
……………………………???
No, really. Christians say it all the time. It's supposed to be encouraging. Well, what they actually say is "The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills."
I just thought the way I said it was a little more modern. A little more relatable. I just wanted to make sure you understood what I was saying.
Actually, now that I think about it, if you haven't been raised in a protestant church (and maybe even if you have), it's very possible that you have no clue how that phrase relates in any way to fundraising, or money in general.
Allow me to explain. 🙂
That Christian phrase comes from the bible in the book of Psalms, chapter 50, verse 10. It's a psalm (or song) that was written by a guy named Asaph. Asaph is essentially saying in this psalm, on behalf of the Lord, that GOD is tired and frustrated with people making sacrifices to him, but only doing it to 'just get by.' He rebukes the people who aren't honoring GOD or listening to Him, the people who choose to do evil and forget God but still think that bringing a sacrifice to the altar makes everything alright. However, with the rebuke comes promises: those who trust in the Lord will be delivered. Those who do what is right will be blessed.
By verse 10, GOD is declaring something about who He is. He says,
9" I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?"
Essentially, GOD is saying, "Do you really think sacrifices are for MY benefit? Do you think you're helping me out or something by bringing me a slaughtered cow? I created everything. I already own everything. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. I am the King here. And I don't care about your cows. I care about the position of your heart."
So where does the encouragement for finances come from? In this: GOD created everything. GOD owns everything. He is King. And He is sovereign. He's in complete control. If we have a need, He has the ability and resources to provide it. If we are walking in His will, He is going to take care of us and provide for us. Because He has declared Himself as our Father. Our Dad.
And oh, He is the BEST Father. If you are blessed enough to know the love of a father here on earth, that's just a
shadow of the reality of GOD. A miniature model meant to point to the loving, fatherly heart of GOD.
So whenever you hear someone refer to the cattle on a thousand hills, it is a calling to trust GOD. To trust Him for provision. To acknowledge He is in control, He has the ability, and He has all the cows.
For all my squad members, I wanted to share with you a personal testimony to encourage you in your fundraising endeavors. Several years ago, I was in an internship that required me to fundraise several thousand dollars over the span of a year. I had paid off all of my internship except for around 2,000 dollars by the end of July, and graduation was the first week in August. By the end of that week, I needed at least $350 more dollars if I wanted to graduate with the rest of my class. The rest they would allow me to continue to make payments on afterward (I think, haha). The problem was, that week I was a camp counselor over 15 middle and highschool girls. I spent every minute of my day with them, sweating in the Texas humidity and sleeping in a large dome with over 30 bunkbeds shoved inside. Between Tuesday and Friday, I seriously only got 4 hours of sleep. So Friday comes. I say goodbye to my girls before lunch, leaving me 3 hours to get the rest of the money. As I'm driving back to my dorm, I am thoroughly exhausted, but brainstorming who I could call. Not to mention, I had to move out of my dorm room before midnight. There just wasn't enough time in the day, and I didn't feel capable of doing anything other than sleep–immediately.
So I was praying. And that's when I felt my Father speak to me, Go to sleep, baby girl, I got this one covered.
First of all, I had never felt GOD call me baby girl before. Second of all, that was absurd! Go to sleep? When it was up to me to call people and fundraise? It was my responsibility…just go to sleep?
I felt it again. Go to sleep, baby girl, I got this one covered.
Sometimes, I'm scared that I can convince myself to believe whatever I want to believe, rather than what GOD wants me to believe. But there was no denying it this time. I really believed that this was the Holy Spirit's voice speaking to me. So I didn't argue or resist any further. In fact, it was very easy to go right to my dorm room and fall asleep on my couch.
I woke up to a phone call. Just before three o'clock. My friend Nic worked in the financial department in the ministry. It's always cool, having a friend on the 'inside.' It was Nic who called. My heart dropped. I would have to tell him I hadn't even tried to get the money…
But immediately, the tone of his voice told me there was a different reason he had called. "Melissa!" he said, excited. "Someone donated to your account!"
"Really??!!" I shouted, bolting straight up from off the couch. "Who? How much? Am I going to get to graduate?" Maybe, just maybe, someone had been generous enough to give the $350…was that too much to hope for?
"They wanted to remain anonymous. Melissa, they paid off your whole account! Over $2,000!!!"
True story, my friends. True story. To this day, I have no idea who it was. I called no one. No one was even aware of my immediate need, as far as I could tell. There was more effort I could have put into fundraising, especially earlier in the month of July. But that's the thing about GOD's love. Sometimes, He gives us grace when we don't deserve it. And in this case, my heavenly Father took care of me when I was irresponsible and exhausted.
Now, don't be irresponsible. That's not the moral of this story. What I do hope from sharing this testimony is that it will help you trust in GOD, and to not be overburdened by guilt or fear in this fundraising process. It doesn't have to be that way.
And truth is, GOD has all the cows.
