faithful

I wish I could tell you all the stories of the Lord's faithfulness in my life, but that would simply take more time than either of us have. This semester has been one of stretching and trusting in a way that I've never experienced before, but I have seen the Lord move in ways that I could never have experienced otherwise.

At the beginning of this semester, I offered up my finances to the Lord and asked that he would guide and direct the spending of the money that I have (which, if we're really getting technical, isn't mine to start with). This is an area that the Lord and I have wrestled with, but I think I'm starting to get it. Working a part-time job (that I happen to love) and going to school full-time doesn't always pay the bills.

In September, I opened my mailbox one day to find a check from a lady who knows my parents, but whom I've never met. She sent me a check to help me finish paying for school this semester. Seriously? For the second time in my life, I was literally speechless... not because of the check itself, but at how BIG the God I serve is. He met a specific need that I had been seeking Him about.

Earlier this week, the Lord met a specific need that I had been praying about. If I told you what he provided for, you might laugh, but for me, it was seeing the Lord provide something I needed. I am blown away at His faithfulness in my life and in the lives of those around me.

I'm learning to be frugal... like cooking at home most of the time (which I'm learning to enjoy), avoiding Target at all costs, and watching where every dollar I spend goes.

I know that my need doesn't compare to the need of the children I met earlier this year in Kenya, but the same God that I serve cares for the needs of all of His children. He provides, he cares, he restores, he heals, he brings hope and he is faithful... all of the time.

Here's an excerpt from a powerful book I'm reading and a verse...

"Because I trust the Maker who told me I was worth more than a sparrow.
Because He loved me enough to rescue me when I thought I would never see the light of day again. 

Because His ways, you know... They aren't ours."

What Women Fear - Angie Smith

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" 

Matthew 6:26

I'm writing all of this to say that if you're holding back parts of your life from God, you're also withholding what he can do. When we surrender our lives completely, the Lord takes what we have and fashions it into something that we could have never made on our own. He takes the broken pieces and makes them whole. It doesn't usually happen the way that we would have imagined, but his way is so much better. Trust him.