Work It Out

A month before Christmas Mackenzie ran up the stairs, saying “Mom, we have to call the Fish- the name today is Brian”. The Fish is a radio station that was running a game where they would select a name each day. If you had that name in your family you could call in to win concert tickets and be entered into a $10,000 drawing. $5000 going to the winner and an additional $5000 going to a charity of the winner’s choosing. So I told her, “Well, you are the lucky one- you call.” And she did, and she won- well technically I won, because she handed the phone to me once connected- because Brian is my brother not hers. I won the concert tickets and was put into a drawing for the big money.

Just days before Grady and I had been discussing a study trip to Israel. He felt that I was supposed to go. And we had been discussing the irrationality of this thought. It wasn’t practical. We would need more time than allotted to save up for it. I was going to be unemployed in another month. While I wanted to go and Grady felt like I should go, we both acknowledged God would have to work it out for me to get there. So we decided to pray about it some more. Then I won the tickets.

For a brief time, I thought about what I would do with the $10,000: Which charities I would donate to- wondered if it could be divided or have to go to just one. I mused that Israel would be a done deal. We would even be able to pay up front for our daughters’ mission trips as well. In living in that in between time of not knowing if I would win, I began to know something as well.

God is not limited to working things out as I plan or have planned. Isn’t that good? When it’s all said and done- it’s all His. He can do with it as He chooses. I realized that He could choose to have me win the radio contest (that would be cool). He could choose to send me a check in the mail through some unforeseen circumstance. I could even find money randomly on the side of the road. The list could go on and on, because God is not limited to my imagination of how He could provide for me. He is bigger, smarter and basically beyond me. So something He is calling me to, He can obviously provide for.

No, I didn’t win the $10,000. While waiting for the announcement I spoke to a gentleman there. I told him of my hope to win so I could go to Israel, but that if I didn’t we would work it out. When I began to walk away, he said, “Sorry you didn’t win, but God will work it out”. Oh the difference! We didn’t work it out- but God did and does. And so He has. My parents had a CD come to maturity, and unbeknownst to me decided in November just to split it among their kids for Christmas. Then an anonymous donor paid for the remainder of my trip. These weren’t even on my radar of thoughts.

Randy Pope says “Attempt something so great for God it is doomed for failure without Him.” Not much of a risk taker, I’ve never been very good at that, but I think this is a start. I wonder how much I might be limiting what God does in my own life by my own lack of faith. We serve a huge, great, mighty, powerful God that for some reason cares about us and for us.

Thank you Lord, and help me continue to attempt what is beyond me for you.