Me and Jesse got back from Outbound, it
was our 'candidate week' for Operation Mobilization. I knew I
wanted to post about it, but the entire week was just so epic. After 5 weeks of
digesting, it is still overwhelming HOW MUCH God taught me. Maybe I'll break it down into different post.
I think the hugest difference is my
attitude towards 'support raising'. 'Support raising' a really sweet term for
asking people to give us their hard earned money for no particularly
good reason except that's how missions work in the new testament was
funded. And THAT is truly how I thought of it. I was basically dreading it. Raising money was an
uncomfortable step int his journey of God's calling in our lives,
“lets get it over with”.
But before I understood asking and receiving financial support, God
wanted me to understand GIVING.
The first thing that hit me was that
the 'money culture' of America is in opposition to New Testament
church. They gave "freely to any who were in need". FREELY? To ANYONE?
Wow. I realized that I had a deep anchored belief in my own 'right'
to my 'hard earned' money. Especial after 18 months of scratching up
dimes to pay of our student loans, I became so aware of the value of
the dollar, I don;t particularly want to share mine with others. “I
mean, what if they don't budget responsibly like I do?”
OM had us study basically every verse
in the bible dealing with giving. I was surprised, (a lot) with how
much it mentions Jesus' ministry as being supported by others, so not
only does giving make us more like Jesus for all the obvious reasons,
but “getting' makes us infinitely more like Him too. Here he is the
emperor of creation and his ministry was supported by rich widows.
Why? For his sake. NO. Definitely for the sake and journey and heart
of the giver.
The Heart of the Giver.
The other thing that stood out to me,
is that a huge barrier to giving isn't as much selfishness, but lack
of faith. God wants me to get UNCOMFORTABLE for him. He wants me to
empty us of our financial comfort zone, so that he can bless us
beyond what I ask or imagine.
A giver can experience the same joy
from giving, that I receive from the actual ministry? How could I
deprive a friend or family member from that opportunity?
And it must be stated, the simplest truth, although i forget it daily. It ALL belongs to HIM anyways.
I serve an amazing God. Who can transform my hard heart to "how much can i save?" to "how much can i give away?"
I went from a girl who
would sheepishly ask for 'monthly support” to an impassioned
servant joyfully asking YOU to get uncomfortable for God and WATCH as
He blesses you beyond your wildest dreams.
