Together In The JourneySample

Generous

“I was astonished by the generosity of so many of our friends and family. Their generosity was not just a blessing; it was also a spiritual challenge to me to open my eyes to how I could be more generous to our family, friends, and community as well.

Another sweet story was when two precious little sisters in our church, Emily and Kaylee, donated $20 from a lemonade sale they held in their neighborhood. Their mom made a comment about how it wasn’t that much, but it was huge to me. These sweet girls gave all they had. They could have used it to buy a new toy, some candy, or some ice cream, but instead they gave it to help our family. It was a sweet sacrifice on their part and another example of godly generosity.” (Chapter 5)

During our adoption, I learned two things about God: He is a provider, and He is generous. Many consider adopting but are frightened by the massive expenses involved—it is the number one deterrent. I know in the early stages of our adoption discussions, the amount required was always a deterrent for Scott as he did not want to place our family in financial strain (which is biblical).

I want to encourage you about this great God we serve. When He calls you to do something, He promises His presence—a truth you can cling to. We do not serve a cruel or negligent God who would call you to do something and then leave you alone to figure it out. Sometimes the process or the provision may take longer than our fleshly minds want, but He will be there.

He truly is the Great Provider, and I saw this repeatedly when it came to our finances. Even when Lyla needed a heart surgery requiring us to stay in India much longer than originally planned, He still provided every penny needed. In fact, when we finally returned home, we realized that the Lord had provided for us right down to the penny!

In addition to His incredible provision, I discovered His wonderful generosity through the gifts of people. It was very heart probing and it made me examine my own measure of generosity. Was I being sacrificial enough for His Kingdom?

You will be blessed throughout this journey, and you will see all of this firsthand in your own life. I pray you will praise His name greatly when He provides and that you consider, even in the midst of raising your support, how you can be more generous to others.

Examine your life in light of God's generosity. Where is He challenging you to give more freely? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal opportunities for you to be a conduit of His generosity to others.