Abundance

Earlier this week, I was reading in mark 8. Part of this chapter is the story about God feeding the 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. I’ve read and heard sermons on this story what seems like a bazillion times, but God pointed out something totally new. Verses 6-7 says, “When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; He gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.” He gave thanks first!! When He had a mere seven loaves of bread and a few fish, which obviously wasn’t even close to enough to feed the 4,000 people in front of him, Jesus STILL gave thanks to God. And it was only after he positioned his heart into gratefulness that the food multiplied. Verse 8 reads, “The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were leftover.” Not only was there enough in the end, there was an abundance!!!

Secrets out guys, fundraising is HARD. For real, I am barely at $3,000 and constantly feel sooooo behind compared to many of my teammates. Not only do I have to intentionally make time to work on fundraising outside of my exhausting day to day, its something that i’m not always motivated to do. There are weeks I question where the heck my excitement went for something that is so God led. And lets not forget the awkwardness of asking for money. It can be weird and uncomfortable and I am constantly humbled by how undeserving I am that Abba chooses to work through people, and sometimes strangers, to provide for me. All that being said, God sweetly reminded me that even when I don’t have enough, or close to enough, I can still be thankful!! He is a god of abundance!!! He will meet me in my shortcomings just as He met Jesus in his. And I can stand in that victory now; I can choose to sing until the miracle comes. 

Reading this verse I kept picturing the disciples faces. They probably watched not even knowing the magnitude of the miracle before them until they looked upon the crowd of 4,000 people, everyone of them with food in their hands. Their earthly mindsets of what provision looked like were completely blown away by a Heavenly Father. And in that same way, I was filled with so much excitement imagining the ways God is going to provide that my earthly mindset could never think of!!! 

Fundraising is still gonna be hard. I wont always be motivated to do it. I will be awkward about it (inevitable at some point with me). BUT Abba uses it all!! He already has used this journey to pull me in a little closer then I was before. and I cant wait until the day I can be a testimony of his faithfulness even in the really really really big $16,000 things!!!