“Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.” I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness (shameless persistence) he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Luke 11:5-8
Years ago my daughter told me that she wanted to have an operation on her jaw. Her teeth didn’t line up right so she lived with constant pain and had difficulty chewing things. There were two possible solutions: One was affordable and would cut down the pain as well as slow the deterioration; the other was expensive but would actually make her better.
We didn’t have the money. I told the Lord in prayer that we didn’t have the money to do what really needed to be done. We were already making sacrifices to put her and her siblings through college and I just felt like all my resources were tapped. “Not all your resources,” was the whisper I heard in my spirit. Was there a bank account somewhere I had forgotten about? As I began to think about other resources, I thought of my relationship with my mom.
To do everything for my daughter didn’t just mean using money we had, it had to include me humbling myself before my mom and asking her if she would help. To say “no” to my daughter without at least asking my mom for help, would not be doing everything possible. Because of my mom’s generosity, I rejoice to say that my daughter had that operation, and now, years later, has no trouble with her jaw.
Have you included your relationship with God when you think about your resources? You may not have what others need, but you know Someone who does.
One Thing 