In my last post, I shared a bit about my experiences this summer learning from God to wake up to the "drowning chipmunks" in our lives; the things and/or people He is placing in our paths everywhere we go every waking moment of every day that we so often completely miss because we don't look for them and instead are consumed with ourselves! As I mentioned then, this is something that comes into play hugely in how we see and love other people as God does, but also in how we learn from the experiences God gives to us. And have I ever been learning from this support-raising process!
You think you know, or at least can guess, how it's all going to play out. Those who don't have much will give what they can, but it won't be much. Those who have more will give more. And the vast majority of your biggest supporters and your monthly supporters are going to probably be all the members of your home Church and family...
When am I ever going to learn?
There are two very loosely defined categories of people who have unexpectedly teamed up to comprise a great deal of my support this summer (with of course numerous exceptions). The first are those who do not have much but have given unexpectedly sacrificially. The second are those who I did not know existed four months ago. Literally. Enter God of Wonders, stage left.
"I will bless you...and so you shall be a blessing..." I wonder if Abraham could ever have imagined the full implications of these words the first time he heard them from God. I'm guessing he probably wasn't totally aware that God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ would enter into His lineage thousands of years later to sacrifice Himself in our place, thereby redeeming all those of humankind willing to accept His grace, and starting an explosive movement that would take salvation through Christ to the ends of the earth for thousands of years to come! (Sidenote: It's interesting that by sending Jesus to the cross God put Himself in very much the same place that He once put Abraham when he asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac). But these words were not just meant for Abraham alone. They were meant for us too. And I believe they have both a spiritual and a physical meaning; one of the drowning chipmunks that God has opened my eyes to see and learn this summer.
Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord of their life has been spiritually blessed beyond any other conceivable blessing! And we have been blessed so that we can bless others--we have been saved so that we can allow God to save others through us by sharing the joy of Christ's forgiveness and salvation with them! Physically speaking, we are also to bless others as we have been blessed, opening our homes to those less fortunate, serving as selflessly as Christ served, and giving of our finances to both those in need and those doing God's work. That's why we have been blessed in the first place--not merely to feed our own comfort and worldly stimulation, but so that we can in turn be a blessing to others! (Sidenote: 5% of the world's population possesses 90% of the world's wealth--chances are if you're reading this, you're part of that top 5%. As a result, it's extremely doubtful that God wants those 5% to just keep their money and use it for themselves; in fact it seems that God's plan to bless us and for us to in turn be a blessing extends so far that His worldwide distribution of goods and funds forces us to have to do something for those without).
"I don't know where the money's going to come from, but..." I have been blown away by the faith of those who are far from rich but have given so sacrificially this summer in their support of the Lord's work through me and Panama! These are people who recognize that they have been blessed so that they can in turn be a blessing. These are people who have embodied God's design for His people to trust Him to provide for them as He uses them to provide for others. These are people who remind me so much of Jesus' words to His disciples when He saw a poor widow put two small copper coins into the temple treasury: "I tell you the truth; this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on" (Luke 21:1-4). What amazing faith! To hear people say that they are stepping out in faith for God to provide their funds as they support me in my leap of faith for God to provide my funds brings me a sense of being a part of a team, not just a bunch of individual supporters. We are all working together on this; we are all reaching these students in Panama and around the world together. These are people who encourage me to remember that I am also going out to be a blessing to the people I am going to serve in Panama as I am being blessed by those who are supporting the Lord's work through me here in Canada."I can't outgive God, so..." I have been just as amazed by the generousity and willingness to give of those who had never met me before this summer and those who I hardly knew! Some of my biggest supporters and some of the people I almost did not call fall into this category! If you took away their support, I would be very significantly lower in percentage right now. These are people who also recognize that they have been blessed so that they can in turn be a blessing. These are people who, far from keeping to themselves, have also stepped out in faith, trusting that the resources God has blessed them with are being put to Divinely powerful use in supporting somebody they hardly know with a ministry they may not have been previously familiar with. These are people who embody to me Paul's words to the Christians in Corinth: "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God...Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you." (2 Corinthians 9:11,13-14). I don't know why these people have chosen me to bless so abundantly, but I am so incredibly grateful that they have, and their generousity has resulted in joyous prayers of thanksgiving and praise to God on my behalf! These are people who also remind me that I am not alone in this, that God is literally raising people up to be a part of this team who I have never met before, and that I can be sure of my calling to Panama because of His miraculous and generous provision through the body of Christ as a whole, not just those who know and like me already. These are people who are giving to the vision, to the Great Commission, and most importantly to God, not just to me.
I do think it's important to note that there are several exceptions to both of these categories because I have many incredibly faithful and encouraging supporters from my home Church, my family, and a variety of other places who do not necessarily fit into either one of them. But I have been absolutely blown away by through who and how God has chosen to provide this summer. And this is one of the "drowning chipmunks" or lessons God has been trying to show me that I could have completely missed had I not been looking for it. The truth is, I could never have guessed who my team would consist of this year. I am guilty both of judging and therefore almost not calling some of my most faithful and generous supporters, as well as assuming the support of others who were not necessarily that interested in this particular arm of God's work at all! The point, I have come to realize, is not who gave and who did not. It has nothing to do with finding "the right people." It's all about Him. Once again, God has thundered that "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). The team He is raising up to be a part of His work in Panama this year looks nothing at all like what I had expected it to. But I also feel incredibly more blessed, encouraged, and in awe of the team that I now have than I ever could have expected to. And I have learned that it doesn't matter, ultimately, who they are. Because every single dollar and cent that I have seen this summer has ultimately come from God. Not from men and women. Not from rich and poor. But from God. These are His resources. This is His money. If He wanted to provide it all in May, He could have. If He wanted to provide it through one person, or through 10 million people, He could. His storehouses are unlimited. His treasuries are endless. And it doesn't matter if somebody I thought would give didn't because God's the one giving the whole amount, just in different ways and at different times. This is the God who turned five loaves and two fish into enough for 5,000 men (plus families?) and still had plenty left over. This is the God who provided a way for me to share the Gospel with my whole journalism graduating class the morning after I specifically prayed for that exact opportunity. This is the God who has provided nearly $35,000 for me this summer (not including my pre-Panama personal expenses), and thousands more for my teammate! This is the God I worship. This is the God I serve. This is my God.I will bless you and you will be a blessing...
Yes. Yes You have, God. Yes you have, team. And Yes I will.
God bless you all!
-Wes
http://wesinpanama.blogspot.com/
