Give Till It Hurts

There is a Christian radio station that I really enjoy, in the Louisville, KY area it's on 93.9 but it's called WAY-FM and it's a national station. You can also listen online. I'm not necessarily promoting this station (it's a GREAT station) but they are in the midst of their fall giving campaign and I've been struck by the giving of some people. There have been children giving their birthday money, single moms with little to spare giving all they can and families with tight budgets giving as well. The more I hear, the more I wonder, when was the last time I gave until it hurt?

I'm also reminded of a very dear friend who recently decided with her husband and young child that foreign missions was calling and they sold their house, their belongings, put a few items into storage and packed several suitcases to follow God's call to mission training. Yes, they are in Hawaii for their training but it's not suntans and site seeing. They are seeing God's work in those around them and feeling drawn into the mission field with faith like a child. They are willing and going and giving...until it hurts. I admire their strength and courage, dedication and devotion and I have no doubt that God will use them in an amazing way. I also wonder, when I have faith like that and give until it hurts, what can God do for me and with me?

Change of Seasons

I LOVE fall. It's certainly my favorite season. I love the colors, the cooler weather, the clothing change from a summer that was too long, the pumpkins and changing leaves, the kids getting ready for Halloween, the amazing sunsets and the ripe red apples. It's a short season that's low maintenance since most yard work is wrapping up and days are getting shorter, there isn't much concern yet about holiday shopping or preparing for brutally cold temperatures. Have I said that I LOVE this season?

Fall also reminds me that everything has a season. I know that throughout my life I've held on to things and people longer that I should have. I've convinced myself that I know better than God sometimes and the current view that I have sometimes gets in the way of His omnipresent view. Fall reminds me to step away, let go and let God. Like the leaves that slowly appear in the early spring, are green and shady in the summer then turn to colors of bright red and orange in the fall, God always has a plan, a beautiful and sometimes confusing plan but it's always greater than what we could ever imagine.

Sometimes God answers prayers with a yes, sometimes a no and sometimes His response is to wait. Wait for the season that he has in mind, his plan is always greater.