Sometimes emergency situations can make you think in crazy ways.
A few years ago while living in NYC, I was faced with a financial dilemma. As a new entrepreneur working part-time jobs while starting my business, I found myself behind on rent at one point. I got to thinking of how I could cover the shortfall when I remembered a couple of valuables I had that I could sell. Most notably, I considered these 2 gold bracelets that had been in my family longer than I had! When my mother was a child, my grandfather had panned for gold in Liberia. He took some of that gold and had some beautiful jewelry crafted and sent across the world to his family in Jamaica. I had the privilege of having a few of these tokens of family history right there in my closet.
Thankfully, I couldn't find the bracelets during my moment of insanity. God understood.😃 He made another way for me to get my bills paid, and that was that. Now I still have the bracelets, which represent a history far more precious than the gold that forms them. So in the end, I had my immediate need met without having to give up what mattered to me!
But what else do we think of giving up when our eyes are focused on lack? Consider this. There's a woman who has been waiting for the right man for what seems like forever. She has matured to the point where she knows what she prioritizes in relationship, and she has enough faith to believe that she need not settle.
Still, during a time of particular emotional vulnerability, a stranger makes an inappropriate comment on her singleness. Not quite having healed from that emotional bruise, she finds herself hanging out at a coffee shop when a handsome guy approaches her and strikes up a conversation. From there, the two begin spending time together. After a couple of dates, she realizes that he's really not a good fit for her. He doesn't really like kids and spends a lot of energy talking about money and superficial gadgets. She always envisioned having a big family with a husband who loved being a dad and who valued the deeper things of life like she does. But, she reasons, she's running out of time to find Mr. Right, and maybe finding someone who is good-enough is alright.
After they get married, however, she realizes that her inner voice was right in more ways than one. Not only does he not desire children, but he values money so much because he mistakes having a good job for having self-worth. This causes a rift, and she feels disconnected from him given how different their values are. He spends the majority of his time working and pursuing things that don't bring lasting peace, and she spends most of her time wishing she had been patient.
In this case, she took something precious and sold it in a moment of doubt. She took her faith in God's ability to meet her emotional need, a faith that is more precious to God than gold, and sold it for the profit of not feeling lonely. Notice I didn't say she sold it for the profit of not being lonely. She was actually fine beforehand. She was healthy and confident, but she simply had not yet found that for which she was searching. But when someone who didn't know her came and told her a lie, she turned off her belief in truth. She gained a companion, but only for the short term. The gold of her faith in God to make provision for her goals was gone, and it affected every area of her life including the legacy she left for the future.
So remember that, whenever you feel like giving away your long-term valuables to fix a temporary problem, pause. Take some time to recognize what really matters, no matter how desperate you feel. Put this phrase on your tongue: "God is an expert at desperate situations!" Speak it out, because the words you say can change your life! Realize that there is a way through the most seemingly-impossible thing. Envision Heaven. Is anything impossible in Heaven? Do you think God is afraid of robbery, shooter rampages, relationship failure or financial difficulty in Heaven? No, and hopefully the absurdity of that idea makes you laugh! Then realize that Jesus came to bring the realities of Heaven into your life on Earth! Ahh! Isn't that amazing?! You just get to ask Him, and He will help you! In the end, you will have both your temporary and long term needs met when you refuse to give up!
Now, go celebrate. And maybe even wear those lovely gold bracelets you didn't have to sell. 😊
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