Taking the challenge. Will you?
I read an amazing story the other day. Here’s a snippet:
In 2005, we first began the process of looking into adoption. We began the process 2 other times after that, but each time something made us stop. We have always known our family would be built through adoption. It was always just a matter of time. 7 years ago we began an “adoption fund”. It was a little bit of money we would set aside for our adoption. However, every time we’d have something we could put in it…we’d feel God asking us to give it to someone else in support of their adoption. I am passionate about caring for the fatherless and being an advocate for children who do not have a voice. Though my personal longing has been for adoption, in recent years I’ve felt God place me in the role of advocating and supporting others in their adoption journeys. As much as I have loved supporting others, that longing to be on the journey myself remained. After years of waiting, in April we felt the “go ahead” and we finally got to begin the journey to bring our little one home.
The initial paperwork wasn’t a big deal. What was a big deal was the $20,000+ we would need to come up with to make the adoption possible. That was a daunting number. Just a few short weeks after our journey began, some of our very dear friends The Ws began the same journey…with the same agency…from the same place. While we were both working on paperwork, I sensed God leading me to tell them He would fund part of their adoption through my blog. I called my friend and told her. At the time I guessed it would be around $1,000….
I encourage you to read it in its entirety here.
Then, this past Sunday while announcing our annual food drive, our pastor boldly reminded us all of how incredibly wealthy we are. How we are in the top 99.9999999% of the wealthiest people on earth. How, if we sacrificed for one week only, we could completely change the lives of an entire family, or entire village for that matter. And then he said two things that brought me to my knees:
1. He wasn’t going to meekly ask us something like, “If you’re moved…” or “If you remember…” He was challenging us to go big. Go huge, in fact.
2. If any of us truly could NOT give, truly could NOT spare a thing, then we were asked to bring grocery bags and fill them up with as much as we needed during that food drive, no questions asked.
Two powerful stories of going big. Two powerful stories of knowing that we are loved and cared for and that we have plenty to give.
So…
I’ve been saving for a new lens for my camera. I have diligently budgeted money from my photography business and invested some into a workshop I’ll be attending next month, but all of the rest has been squirreled away for this new lens.
It’s a Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens that I have drooled over for about a year, and it costs about $1,500. I’ve saved almost $1,200 toward this lens this year, even opening a special account for the money so that I wouldn’t spend it any other way. It was going to be a huge investment back into my business, one that I had budgeted for very carefully, and one that I was very, very excited about.
But I’ve decided to go even bigger. This week, I’ll be emptying out that special account and helping someone else. The money will be used to buy food and supplies that will be distributed to those who need it, who truly don’t have anything to spare. I knew that that was what that money was being saved for when I walked out of that building this weekend: a part of an anonymous gift to someone, or a few someones, who won’t have to worry about how they’ll be feeding their children for a day, a week, this meal.
So how about it? Will you go big with me?
If you’d like to help with the food drive, please click here and go to “food drive” for a list of needed items.
