I often take for granted my experiences where the Lord has provided when we could not. I forget that maybe other people might not have had that experience and that my saying that, may sound crazy.
See we have had countless examples of God providing for us in both practical and miraculous ways. So, when we talk about God providing, we know that there are no limits or rules to what He can do or how He can do it.
Naturally it doesn't mean that we don't do our part to provide for ourselves, but in recognizing that what "we" provide is actually coming from our Heavenly Father, we get to see the bigger picture of all that He does for us.
For example, my husband would not have the income he has if God had not created the opportunity. It all began with giving his all at a job that not only paid far less than we needed, but in an environment where his hard work and dedication wasn't truly valued or appreciated. The disappointing work environment and Steve's desire to do his part to provide for the needs of our family is what led him to go back to college, full time, while working full time.
He worked hard to earn that degree so he could in turn find better employment opportunities. Even when he got laid off from that job, which was a huge financial blow to our family, it was a blessing in disguise. He was able to complete his unpaid internship, which was required for him to graduate, and he received an outstanding letter of recommendation in the process.
He got his Bachelor's degree and began applying for jobs. It felt so discouraging to see him applying for job after job, knowing his education, certifications and experience more than qualified him, and yet no offers came.
How is that a blessing, you might ask... Well, God had given him favor with the company that he did his internship for. Not only did they not have any open positions available at the time he completed his internship, it wasn't even in the budget to create one. However, one month later, he got a call from them, telling him that they valued the work he did so highly that they created a position for him and found a way to work his salary into the budget! The income wasn't what we needed or were hoping for, but it was a great place to start. The company had a history of being loyal to it's employees and it would be good experience.
If he had not had the opportunity at that time, to take that unpaid internship, he would not have gotten that job and he would not have met the man who referred him to his new job, where he is finally making enough money for us to start saving and be able to help others!
So when I say "God will provide", I am saying it knowing that He always has and He always will. It may not come in the package we expect it to come in, and it may not be exactly what we were asking for, but it is always good.
We learned a lot in this season of limited finances about what to invest our money in, how to be grateful for what we have even when we don't know where our next meal is coming from and how we want to handle our money going forward now that we will be in a position to use it to help others who are struggling.
Saying "God will provide" doesn't mean sit back and wait for Him to do it all for you, it means do what you can, do what He has called you to do, and trust Him for the rest.
It means discovering that what might seem like a curse is actually a blessing.
It means that no matter how BIG or impossible it may seem, God is not limited by our ability, or our circumstances, He can do anything!
It means not shying away from asking for the HUGE things or assuming that He doesn't care about the little things. Our Father loves us dearly and desires to give us GOOD gifts. Nothing is too big or small for God.
Ask.
Seek.
Trust.
He is faithful to provide.
Be blessed, y'all. <3
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