In God‘s economy, you can’t out give God.
Think about that statement. Process it. To me, it means that if you give your time and energy and talents to God, He will provide for you in unexpected ways. When things are tough and you feel you have nothing else to offer, know and trust that God will never give you more than you can handle, and He wants you to do your best to offer yourself up to serve the Lord in whatever ways and with whatever gifts He has blessed you with.
Part of Psalm 34 reinforces this concept. ”The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all….The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34: 15-22).
Life is not easy for most people. Even the people we may deem as “perfect” in our minds have there own set of problems and issues. You never know what is going through the hearts and minds of people under another roof. It is not our job to judge others or say that they are not worthy of our time and talents. God has blessed us all with some ability, even it’s just the blessing of being a comforting shoulder to those grieving. Offer yourself up selflessly to help others in need whenever and wherever you can. Do not expect anything in return. Ever. If you give selflessly without any want of recourse, then God will bless your unselfish heart in unexpected ways. It may not be in ways that we want, but always in ways that we need.
There have been times in my life (and I’m currently in a difficult stage) that I thought that there was no way out of the situation that I was in. With the economy the way it is, my family is struggling financially. I lost my job in late 2010 and due to my health at the time and the lack of jobs in our area, I was not (and still not) able to find something sustainable to do. My husband took a leap of faith and left his dead-end job soon after to do student teaching for a semester so that he could become a teacher (hopefully the following fall). We prayed that if we kept a tight budget and subsided on savings and student loans that he would find a position that fall and we could get back on track financially and as a family.
With the economy the way it is, he was not able to find a job. He has been substitute teaching since last fall and though the money is pitiful, it is something coming into our household and we are thankful. We are praying that God will find it in his will to provide my husband with a teaching position or lead us down another path this year. I’m still looking for work and now with two children, I’m hoping God will lead me to what I am supposed to do with my life as well.
The reason I’m telling you all of this is because even though our income has been tight and at times non-existent, we have survived so far. God has always – and at times we have no idea how it happens – provided us with a way to pay for our basic necessities and bills. We have used student loans to get by as well (we are both still in school part-time), but that is only a small portion of it. With odd jobs and substitute teaching, and random influxes of income, we are able to make it month to month. There are times that the money coming in and the money that is supposed to go out doesn’t seem to match, but somehow we are able to get enough together to do so. By God’s grace we have been blessed.
My husband and I are actively trying to find a way out of our situation, but we know that God has us here for a reason and when He is ready, He will provide us with an answer to our prayers. Nothing can be done without Him. While we are waiting, we are using this time to improve our relationships and be role model’s to our children. I never thought we would be able to spend so much time together or with our children at this young age and for that I am grateful. I have used my time and talents volunteering in the community as well and lending an ear to those in need. I try to keep an open mind and heart so when I feel I am needed, I try to be there to offer my services to others.
I know one day soon this trial will end and I am sure another will rise in the future. But God is always holding our hand during troubling times and this is no exception. Always give openly and you will be blessed. Remember the bible verse from earlier….”[a] righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19).
Looking back at difficult situations in your life that you have overcome, did God always provide you with a way to rise above your situation, even if it was in an unexpected way?
