Reason #791

We decided last year that we were going to go on an international mission trip if we got a chance. We were challenged, after reading Radical, to make some changes in our lives. To spread the good news through serving at home and away from home, and to care for the orphans and widows. And so when we discovered our church was taking a trip to Guatemala, it was apparent that we were being called to go. A trip where we will hand out shoes to the orphans, spread the hope of Jesus, and see what He leads us to do next. Two of our challenges fulfilled in one week.

 

Since you all know about my fiscally responsible ways, I knew that spending a few thousand dollars on this trip was going to influence our budget and that we needed to start planning ASAP. We decided that every month we would move over a certain amount of money into a trip fund to cover the expenses, although we didn’t know how much we would need. To be honest, it does stress me out to spend big bucks on anything, and so I began to pray that God would provide. That way, I wouldn’t stress over the money. I’d just trust that He would make it happen since He had laid this trip on our hearts. I know God doesn’t need our dollars or our financial sense, as He has shown me time and time again, and so I decided I would just go with the plan and let things work themselves out.

 

We had a few options. We discussed how we could pay for our trip in two different ways, however, as life has it, we also came up with more ways to spend money. Ways that were going to compete with our trip, and I felt really conflicted about what to do. The truth is, we don’t need anything. We want things, and we justify them, but we don’t need them. You can finance anything you want these days, and while I can see slightly see the benefit in that, I also see the danger. I see how things tie us down, keep us from giving and doing more, and so I was hesitant on shelling out more money for things that would hold us captive. Things that would be a burden for a selected number of months as we chipped away at the bill in order to own them. Things that might keep us from doing what God has asked of us.

 

I have found that if you give God the first fruits, if you obey and don’t withhold, you find that you have what you need. Regardless of how much life costs, you find that ends meet when God’s work is your first fiscal priority. And so yesterday we received an email containing the amount of our trip. It was actually less than I expected. We had already paid our deposit, and that had taken a chunk from our vacation account. The rest was due in May, so that meant we had three months to come up with the money. I grabbed my calculator and I added the amount we had currently in the account plus the budgeted amount for March, April, and May, and according to my calculations, the amount we owed and the amount we would have in the account by May was a $10 difference. Not knowing the amount of the trip, who would have thought that when we started our budget in August, we would have saved pretty much the exact amount we needed?

 

It’s never a coincidence. God never ceases to amaze me. The amount of care He shows us, the amount of attention and provision He gives us, completely overwhelms me. How He meets every need and takes care of our heart’s desires. God is so good, so faithful, and so able. I’m excited to see what unknown blessings He has waiting for us in Guatemala.

 

#791 - Because He always makes it add up perfectly!

 

"And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." - 2 Corinthians 9:8