When I raised money for my last trip, it was only $2350, which now seems like a drop in the bucket. When I applied to this project, the number $5650 loomed over me. I had people asking constantly "hmmm, well what happens if you don't get it all?" I honestly didn't know how to reply, because I didn't even want to think of it that way.
I wrestled with two different mindsets: "Believe that God wants you there and He's going to provide! Do not even think of a Plan B" and "You should maybe have some plan for when it does not come in, you really only have about $500 to your name, what are you going to do if it doesn't?" At a deep level I knew that the former was a statement that I needed to cling to, that I needed to have faith that He would bring it in somehow. The other statement is faithless and doubting. I don't know that doubting God has gotten anybody anywhere.
Neil T. Anderson, in his book Victory over the Darkness explains it this way:
The strength of Plan A [living God's way by faith] is determined by your personal convictions that God's way is always right and by how committed you are to believe Him. The strength of Plan B [living our way by humanistic reasoning] is determined by the amount of time and energy you invest in entertaining thoughts that are contrary to God's Word.....The more time and energy you invest in contemplating your own plans on how to live your life, the less likely you are to seek God's plan. You begin flip-flopping between acknowledging God's plan and leaning on your own understanding. (p. 151, 152)About a week ago I mentally committed to Plan A. I would not allow myself to think about Plan B. And within one week, the rest of my support came in. I challenge you to sit with God and ask him "in what ways am I living Plan A? In what ways am I living Plan B?" He is faithful, my friends, to answer.
Grace and peace,
Shayla M.
No comments:
Post a Comment