Summer

Summer is officially here, in all of it's hot, sticky, buggy, sweaty glory.  I mean, I'm not one of those people that loves the heat - can you tell?!
It's been in the high 90s here this week which means that any time you step outside, you're going to be breaking a sweat, and that's really not my favorite thing.
However, summer also brings a lot of good things: long days full of sunshine, trips to the lake, watermelon, summer camp, sleepovers, vacations, no school, picnics, grilling, swimming, Tropical Sno, and Independence Day, just to name a few.

Yesterday was the first day of VBS at the Grace Place, and it has me doing a lot of thinking about this time last year and all of the things that have happened since then - all of the ways that God has provided for us and for the people around us in very real and substantial ways.

Last year at this time, Matt was needing a new job.  We were barely scraping by and it felt like we would never get ahead.  I hosted the Bible story room at VBS last year and got to hear all of the great lessons that week - lessons I knew well and had heard a thousand times before, but those lessons became very real to me last year.  We learned about Moses and the burning bush - hearing God's voice, how awesome that would be! - and following his leading, despite his fear and feelings of inadequacy.  God performed amazing things through Moses' faithfulness.

That Sunday, the children's pastor spoke about everything that we learned at VBS the week before, and she asked us if we were standing at the red sea, needing God to part it for us.  She said that God wants to make himself real to us and to provide for us, that we have to take that first step in faith and God will lead us.

I prayed that morning for God to part the sea for us... I asked God for provision, and for a way out of our current situation.

Now, I need to tell you that I have faith and that I believe that God answers prayer, but just like the early Christians praying for Peter's release from prison, I didn't expect God's answer to come to us as quickly as it did...

That same day, our small group was having an outing.  Matt and I had a very small amount of money that we needed to last us until our pay day at the end of the week, and going on the outing seemed like a bad idea, so we planned to stay in.  About the time that we would need to leave to go, Matt told me, "I really feel like we should go tonight - I can't explain it, but I feel like everything is going to be okay" and so, we went.

We met up with our group for a "Destination: Unknown" and boarded the van.  When we reached our destination: a putt-putt golf place, Matt and I looked at each other with doubting faces.  We purchased the smallest available ticket for one round of putt-putt, and we kept our situation to ourselves.

After putt-putt, the van took us to a restaurant.  We settled in for waters and a shared meal and conversation... thanking God that our cabinets were stocked at home, knowing it would be a tight week.  Now, I need to say that, at the time - I was scolding myself for going on this outing.  How foolish!  How wasteful!  Forget that my husband felt it was the right thing to do, maybe he wasn't listening to God... maybe he was listening to himself...

At dinner, we kept the conversation light.  Someone had a cool new phone.  Matt mentioned how much he wanted an iPhone.  "If you get a better job, you can have an iPhone," I remarked, biting my tongue as soon as it came out - I shouldn't have said that!  I'd been looking at job listings for months.  Every time I found a good one, I sent a link to Matt.  What I meant as encouragement and moral support for him often translated as a reminder that he wasn't making as much money as I was or as we needed him to.  So much so that it had become a sore point for us and I had learned to not bring it up.
Our friend Chad spoke up, "You looking for a new job?  Dell is hiring... you should apply."

I wasn't going to hold my breath.

Monday, as I was getting ready for work, I got a call from Matt - he was on break.  "I'm going to apply for that job tonight" he said.  "What?" I asked, cautiously.  "That job at Dell... I think it's worth a shot."

Within a week, he had the job, and by the end of the month, he was working for Dell.  Our income tripled that month.  Can you believe it?

God provides.  He provides for every detail.  He provides for every situation.  We may not always see it, and it may not always be the way we think He is going to provide, but He is always there - not early, not late, but right on time and in just the right way.

So, as I'm looking back at everything I learned from VBS last year and the very tangible results of those lessons and my faith, I'm looking forward at this week of VBS and wondering, what will I learn?  What journey does this year hold for us?  Where will God lead us next?

Take some time and reflect about what God has done in your life over the past year.  What lessons have you learned?  What mountains have you moved?  Look forward to the future.  Greet this new season with God just like a child greets summer vacation, with the wonderfully long days filled with fun and adventures, because He is righteous, He is loving, He is faithful... and He has such great plans for you!