Today does not feel like a gift. As I am getting ready to decorate for Christmas I am also trying to get my mind to match the season. The anxiety of this season is real. The exhaustion of caring for my elderly mom with Alzheimers, helping my daughter that is pregnant prepare for our first grand baby and running a nonprofit is hard. I know God is in it all. I know that I am so blessed to have the amazing family that I have. I know that I live in the greatest county in the world.
Sometimes my heart does not match my head though. As Village to Village continues to grow and God continues to enlarge our territory, the daily struggle is always there to fund our programming. I get to work with some of the most amazing nonprofits and I know that I am not alone in the struggle. It is hard to do for others, it is hard to have a vision to help the least of those in your community and the world when many around you do not have that same vision. It is so hard to keep the funding where it needs to be to continue ministry. It can easily feel like what you do does not matter but I look at stories in the Bible and realize the God that was a part of those stories are a part of our story too.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego willingly chose to do what was right, knowing it meant they would be thrown into a furnace and probably die. They also knew their God could save them and a nation. Queen Esther went before the king, knowing it could be immediate death but she knew her God could save her and a nation. They were able to give the gift of life to kingdoms.
After a hard discussion about what needed to happen for Village to Village to continue and for us to meet the daily needs of the ministry, I began to pray and seek to try and understand. Have I misheard God in this season? Have I done things outside of His will as we are moving forward? What is the next step?
Today as I am in the midst of a house full of family and friends, cleaning our Airbnb, taking care of a sick dog, doing laundry, fixing meals and pulling Christmas decorations out, I heard His voice, "Are the things you are doing good, are they helping others, are they encouraging people, are you loving your community? If so, why are you questioning if Village to Village is going to continue to do ministry? Yes. Doing good is always what I am calling you to do!"
We will never know what the future looks like but we can be sure of this...we are always called to love people and to be Christ to those around us. The gift of love is the best gift you can ever give.
As I fix my moms food, put baby furniture together, pick up and deliver furniture to local refugees for Village to Village, I will remember that it is a gift. We can all afford it. It never goes out of style and is always needed.
