Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Each minute passed like the threat of a slowly closing door. A deadline was fast approaching. Five days, one thousand dollars to raise.
Five days, $1,000.
That's two hundred dollars a day.
The odds seemed stacked against me. I could sense concern. I could feel worry. I could see the looks that said more than words from people, “Well, that's a lot of money. Do you have a back up plan if you can't raise the money and go on the trip? What if you can't go to training camp?”
But my heart was content. In my heart, I know God was and is bigger than any deadline on the face of the planet.
And oh, He was!
In just five days, God brought in not just the one thousand dollars. He brought in $1,600!
The garage sale alone brought in $724! It was a huge success, and lots of fun!
(At the garage sale with a few of my lovely helpers!)
(I had tons of items donated, and sold A LOT! Thank yo so much to everyone who helped make this such a special day!)
(We had some fun!)
In one weeks time, from when I posted my newsletter to last night, my support account went from $2,014 to $3,900. That is HUGE! I am so thankful for you, all of my supporters. Thank you for blessing me and allowing me to be your representative and for being the hands of feet in Christ around the world! YOU truly make a huge difference.
Because I can't do this.
No, I cannot. That's the one thing I know for a fact. I, myself, an imperfect human, could not bring in $1,000 in five days. I could not bring in $1,600 in five days. I could not bring in the $1,900.
But GOD CAN. And He did! Oh if you could feel the joy in my heart right now. It just deepens my faith every time I think about it. He truly in so faithful, and I am blessed to experience and taste that in this way, through meeting this first deadline.
I have a long way to go still, $10,900 more in fact. But, I know that God is more than able to provide for where He has called, and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for you and for me through His provision!
Last Wednesday, when doubt threatened to creep into my mind about being able to raise all of this money, God did an awesome thing! It was little, but it meant so much to me.
About two years ago, I started reading Francis Chan's book, “Crazy Love.” I had read about three quarters of the book, and I think I just didn't get around to finishing it. I absolutely loved what I had read so far, just stopped in the middle of a chapter and hadn't finished it.
Well, last Wednesday, I decided to pick up “Crazy Love” and start reading where I had left off, two years ago.
I was absolutely blown away by what I read. It was exactly what I needed to hear that day. And I don't think that's a coincidence. This amazes me even more- that we have a God that is so thorough and cares so much about my life so much, that He would orchestrate when and where I would stop reading “Crazy Love” so that I could pick it back up again on Wednesday and hear exactly what I needed to from Him that very moment. It was incredibly special, and brought so much excitement to my soul.
The paragraph that I started to read began to talk about living sacrificially and in a way that makes us trust God. Living in such a way that we have to place all of our trust in Him.
“Jesus was forcing His disciples to trust Him. God would have to come through for them because they had nothing else to fall back on.
This place of trust isn't a comfortable place to be; in fact, it flies in the face of everything we've been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. But when Christ says to count the cost of following Him, it means we must surrender everything. It means being willing to go without an extra tunic or a place to sleep at night, and sometimes without knowing where we are going.
God wants us to trust Him with abandon. He wants to show us how He works and cares for us. He wants to be our refuge.” (pg. 123-124 of “Crazy Love”)
When I read these words, I knew that that was exactly what God was calling me to. He was calling me into Himself, saying “Trust me, Sarah. Trust.” He is God, and He can do what He says He can do. There is so much freedom in knowing that God is in ultimate control. That doesn't mean we sit by idly, waiting for Him to do everything for us. But it means following where He has called, and trusting Him.
The one quote that really struck me in the heart was this:
“But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.” (pg. 124 of “Crazy Love”)
Reckless abandon. Total surrender. Complete freedom.
In a society obsessed with safety nets, nest eggs, five year plans,“Plan A-Z,” and “Backup Plan A-Z” just in case plans A to Z don't work out, this is a difficult concept to grasp. It is even harder to put it into practice. There is nothing wrong with plans or back up plans. It's safe. But, I think they can also hinder us from totally trusting God. It allows us to plan things out on our own and rely on ourselves instead of God. Only if all plans and back up plans don't work, do we turn to God for answers.
We should trust Him completely from the beginning and watch Him work His miracles. Because He can and He does, and it is an amazing thing to be a part of.
I can't do it, but God can. Without a doubt.
Thank you for being a part of God's miracle, and being His hands and feet, beloved!
(And, of course, what garage would be complete without a stuffed javelina head? I know mine wouldn't have been! 🙂 )
