Fill 'Em Up, Fill 'Em Up!

If you have read my blog this month, then you will know that my church is in the middle of a series on Elisha, an amazing prophet of God with some ridiculous faith.  Yesterday, Pastor Craig taught from the encounter had with a widow.   She was in debt and her creditors were going to come and take her sons.  All she had her in her house was a small amount of olive oil.  Elisha helps her by calling on God. He gives her specific instructions on what to do.  She takes her family behind closed doors. The woman and her sons gather empty jars and she begins to fill one jar with the olive oil.  The oil multiplies and fills all the jars she gathered.  Then the woman is able to sell the oil, pay her husband's debt and keep her sons.  Definitely a moment where God did more than she asked or imagined.

I have to just SHOUT with praise right now to God!  I laugh about it because I am so amazed!  To quote Margaret Feinberg, I am WONDERSTUCK with God's goodness right now.  You see, I was really impressed about ten days ago when I actually sold two times on my TeachersPayTeachers store.  I thought that was a pretty good start considering the the thousands upon thousands of lesson plans.  BUT GOD (remember those favorite words of mine?)  has done an EPHESIANS 3:20 moment in my store.  I still cannot believe it!  Those small beginnings have now turned an amount so great I would not have guess that it could happen in less than a month of having my store open.  Let's just say it covers my student loan payment....which makes me give up a huge HALLELUJAH!!  I seriously have tasted some of God's goodness.  I feel I can totally relate to the widow Elisha helped.  I took my little bit, and God has multiplied it to fill some empty jars in my life.  All I did was take the small gifts He has blessed me with, and in return He  has multiplied it more than I could have expected.  It has encouraged me to continue on this journey with the Lord because I know any blessing that comes out of this comes from His Hand and not my own.  God is truly FAITHFUL!

Now this excitement of God's faithfulness in this area has spilled over into other areas of my life.  It has increased my faith to where I am finally at peace about some places God has called me to be obedient.  One example is an area I touched on back in February in this post.  I talked about how last August, right around this time actually, I knew God had called me to stop "looking" at potential husband material and to rest and focus on Him.  I was back and forth on the fence, depending on my feelings.  Because seriously, who imagines themselves single at 30?  And waiting on God always makes me think that His timing is even longer than I would want it to be.  Could I wait on God for a year?  Could I wait on God for another ten years?  Twenty years? God continued to encourage me in following Him by renewing my hope.  However, those pesky feelings still got in the way until a moment I've dubbed "Whole Foods Sunday."  In the Godincidence, I felt God truly calling me to surrender and wait on Him.  It has been hard at times to rely on God, especially when no one else around feels the same conviction. The devil has seen this calling as place to just move on in and muck things up in my mind.   I've wanted affirmation from other people that what I experienced was truly God, but God has shown me, that just like my journey with my TeachersPayTeachers site, His way of guiding me is unique to me.  His voice trumps all others.  I only have to take my faith and offer it up expectantly to the Lord, knowing that in His right time He will do more than I could ask or imagine.  I just need to give Him my small amount of faith and my heart in FULL obedience and surrender.  He will not lead me in a negative way.  It may be painful at times, but it is not for my destruction, because my Father gives good and perfect gifts.   The blessing will happen, just like it did with my TeachersPayTeachers site, but it is going to be in HIS time and way, not my own.

Thank You Lord, for blessing my TeachersPayTeachers site beyond what I could have asked or imagined you would do.  Thank you for the small beginnings that you plant in our hearts.  Help me to offer those beginnings up in faith.  Give me the patience to wait because I want to be obedient to Your call.  I trust that you will take my dream jars for my life and overflow them with oil in Your way and Your time according to the plan that will bring You the most Glory.    In Jesus' Name, Amen.