An unexpected blessing!

Since today was the first of the month, I thought I'd check my staff account for a glance at my balance. After crunching some numbers, I realized that I might be a little bit short this month, depending on some donations that were yet to come in at the end of February.

The number I came up with that I would potentially need wasn't huge, but it still caused a little anxiety. If I was a little short this month, surely I'll be short even more next month. Then what do I do? I had a fleeting thought that I should set aside some time tonight to pray about my support, but I went back to my work and pushed aside my concerns.

When I checked the mail tonight, I found one small, personal envelope. Inside was a check for the exact amount I needed. My reaction was similar to this photo (it's my typical I-can't-believe-that-just-happened reaction).


The donor and I had been playing phone tag for months, and they must have decided to just send a check even though we hadn't been able to meet. What a huge, unexpected blessing!! That check was written out and mailed yesterday, before I was aware of my need. Hope this is an encouragement to you today; God knows what we need before we need it, but he definitely likes hearing about it from us.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4.6-7

Fear.

We must have an appropriate view of fear. We must not be afraid of what can happen to us in this world. Our circumstances, like the economy or cancer, may not ever get better even though we want them to. But we must not fear. We are to fear the Lord, as it is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom [Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10].

"To fear and not be afraid--that is the paradox of faith." - A.W. Tozer

worry/peace

I've been reading Battlefield of the Mind for the past few weeks. Great book, I like it a lot. There's a lot that goes on in my mind, which you probably know if you've read my blog for awhile now. The current chapter I'm on is about worrying. Pretty good chapter for me to read at this point in my life- with graduation comes big decisions, many of which I've already started worrying about. I won't get in to much of the actual advice Joyce Meyer provides to live a life free from worry. One thing she comments on is finding rest in God. I know it's easier for me to be at peace when things are a bit quiter in my life. That's probably true for many people. But the fact that I can have rest even in trying times is very promising. Loosly paraphrased, Meyer writes:

His rest is one that operates in the midst of the storm, not in the absence of one. Jesus did not come to remove all opposition from our lives.

There is no guarentee that life is easy, especially not the Christian life. Two quick thoughts on this: 1-a lot of non-christians don't get that, 2-a lot of new christians don't know yet (or don't understand). I think it's a fundamental principle for a new believer to learn. Probably one they will have to learn on their own.

I forget this- that Jesus isn't just going to take away all my cares and worries. I can cast them on Him, and I should, but how I handle the oppositions in my life is really important. It's a chance for me to have faith that God is working in the situation, no matter the current problems or potential outcomes. it's a chance to give Him glory.