Humbled

Happy Sunday!  On the heels of my Aunt's and a former church member's funeral this weekend, God gave me an opportunity to chuckle today with this one.  Thought I'd write about it.  Here it goes! 

I am doing a devotional with a few ladies and read the following in a section of today's reading which really helped put something into perspective for me that I didn't think about before in terms of our unique and special calling...

"Having a relationship with the Lord and developing His character in your life form an essential foundation that will strengthen and sustain you in all your activities and accomplishments. With continual refreshing from the Lord, you can purposefully engage in your many responsibilities and fulfill the exciting purposes God has for you."***

True story: a member of an organization who I don't know very well called me twice in one week, but I kept missing the call.  When I called them back, the individual said, "Can I ask you a question? I know we don't know each other very well, but I feel close to ask you this in my mind..." IN MY MIND, I'm hearing alarms ringing and ABORT! ABORT!  😂 Anyway, the individual asked me to borrow some money "just until next month" because they needed money to pay the rent that was due in a few days, but somehow next month, they were going to be able to pay me back this not-small-amount-of-money.

I was feeling generous that day and actually almost believed that they were going to pay me back...at some point.  So I say, yes, and within minutes, the money is sent followed by a profuse "thank you."  The next month comes and I get a text message requesting to pay the money back in 2 more months instead of paying me back that month.  Again, I say yes and the borrower is happy, again.  Payment month rolls around and the individual actually calls to invite me to some event with the organization. I'm not interested in going, but I am interested in eventually getting my money back so I ask the individual if they have my payment information so they can pay me back this month to which they respond yes and that they will pay it back that month.  The last day of the month comes and the individual sends me a message asking for my payment information AND if they can pay installments. 

GOODNESS...are you serious?!? 🙄 NEVER AGAIN!!! 

I immediately send the QR Code of my payment information and say yes. 

<SpongeBob Squarepants announcer voice> TWO DAYS LATER (so this is now technically the next month, right???), the person sends me FIFTEEN PERCENT (1-5!!!) of what they received from me 5 months prior within 3 minutes of asking me on our initial phone call.  Now, keep in mind, in the last phone conversation where I asked the individual if they had my payment info, they tell me that their birthday is coming up AND THEY WENT SHOPPING TO BUY THEMSELVES SOMETHING 'CUZ THEY HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING NICE FOR THEMSELVES IN A LONG TIME. 

Why?  Why are you telling me this when you know you owe me money? 🤔 When you are working 2 jobs and you know I am working no jobs and have NO income coming in.  😐  My "gast is flabbered" and I have been moved to speechlessness.  So l do the only proper thing I could do and text them thank you for sending the 15% of the needed total non-gift repayment and happy birthday. 

I could have asked when the next and final payments would be expected, but I am patient since I am not hard pressed for it and she just about knows that any future request for assistance will be met with a no.  But I actually wouldn't say no...I would say yes...and I would tell them I will lend you the money in the same time frame and manner that you paid me back.  Call you next month!  Bye!!!  👋👋👋 😂😂😂

Funny part over...now where God uses this very tangibly fresh-in-my-mind and relatable story was to show how good He is and how He challenged me with the devotional today.

So from the above scenario to now thinking about YOU giving something to somebody to do something very specific that YOU need for THEM to do FOR YOU. 

Stay with me here...God is so good.

It is something that is important and YOU have given it to THEM to execute that IMPORTANT SOMETHING ON YOUR BEHALF.

Now, they not only NOT do the important thing you needed for them to do for you, they go around with what YOU'VE given them for A VERY SPECIFIC TASK or PURPOSE, and use it to do something else!  Now, you can imagine how upsetting it is when a person owes you something after asking for assistance and they take forever to pay you back and then share with you that they bought these nice expensive clothes on sale because they needed to treat themselves instead of essentially paying you back first, right?  It's upsetting. 

So, imagine, how it feels to ENTRUST giving you--my friend, not my enemy/acquaintance/or even somebody who doesn't even know me, but someone I love AND someone who says they love me--something so precious to me, with full expectancy of you completing doing something on my behalf, and you go and squander it.  And use it for other people.  And other things.  I would be very upset, and the shift in my mind is thinking, WAIT, THAT'S WHAT WE DO TO GOD.  Because He has given us talents.  He has given us gifts.  He has given us a beautiful mind.  He has given us the know-how in putting it all together.  And we squander all of these things on other people and not His Kingdom work!  So, I can see how God could be very upset with us, but--PRAISE THE GOOD LORD--God is NOT like people.  And He doesn't love like how people love. It's not conditional, it's unconditional!  But today's devotional just helped me realize that and put it into perspective.  The only reason--the only way--we are who we are and how we are is because God has created us this way!  He has allowed us to go through experiences that we are able to see His goodness in all things.  And so the very talents, gifts, experiences, understandings, and learned lessons that we have, have come from Him.  And He wants us to use all of that to expand His Kingdom; to do work for Him, to leave an impression of His love on others. And yet, we squander that on the things that we want to do, and on people we want to spend it on, and bless--not so much to bless because we're blessing them with the love of Jesus Christ--we just want to bless to try to impress folk because we got it in our hands.  But the reality is the only reason we have ANYTHING is because God has given it to us. 

So we have to be great--not even good--but great stewards of what He has given us, and that includes our talents, our time, our resources, our gifts, our lives, our families, even our futures...we need to give all of that to Him!  And we owe ALL OF THAT to Him.  And He OWNS ALL OF THAT, ANYWAY, so this was just a really good devotional to humble me and remind me of that today.  🙏🙌✝️😁 

What have you squandered that God has given you?  What are you called to do and what steps are you taking to be a good steward of what God has for you to do?

Speaking of "squandered", lemme go call that individual to see about their next payment...JOKINGGG!  😂😆😁✝️🙌🙏

#missshanspreads

#WhereAreYouInTheStory 

#GlorytoGod

#Missions

#Calledforapurpose

#itsHisAnyway

#Jesus

#jesuschrist

***If you want to read the full devotional from that day or all 5-days... 

Join me in reading A Woman Of Purpose And Power (By Dr. Myles Munroe)

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/15179-a-woman-of-purpose-and-power

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