When________Then___________

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” – Luke 16:10

 When this happens…then…

The phrase above is one that I’ve heard used a lot lately, and one that I have used as well; especially a 3 or 4 years ago.  

How many of us, at one time or another, have been guilty of saying, “When_________happens THEN I’ll or we’ll do___________.”

When I get MARRIED then I’ll do ___________ or go _______________

When I’m FINCIALLY SUCURE then I can ____________________

When I’m ______________ then I’ll _______________________

When we have ________________ then we can _____________________

You get the idea. Fill in the blanks for yourself. But it’s something that has really begun to bother me,  I guess it’s because for so long I lived my life as if I was waiting for something to happen before I could start living it. I forever had an excuse for not doing something, I really wanted to do, or even felt called to do, but I could always justify not doing it.

Maybe it’s a pride thing. You only want people to see you at the top, not struggling. We want to appear as if we have it all together, that we know what we’re doing, when the reality is we don’t have any idea…we’re taking it step of obedience at a time.

I am still learning this, but the Lord really set me free in this area about 5 years ago when I kept saying,  “I’ll do ________ when I get married.” It could have been a number of things. But marriage use to be some goal I was waiting to attain instead of a gift from God entrusted to me in His timing for His glory and my and my husband’s sanctification.

Maybe that isn’t yours, but we all have one. We all have visions or dreams, and maybe some of the ones you have are one God has put in your heart, but what we all tend to do is run after the BIG picture instead of focusing on the little steps of obedience that lead the big picture.

For instance, writing a book. Can’t wait to pick out a cover, see it on a shelf, be able to put it in some girls hand, and see God change hearts and lives. But what has to happen first? You have to write it. Day in and day out…a book doesn’t just appear. It’s a labor of love that takes some longer than others but either way it’s a process.

Comparison and envy will steal our joy and cut the knees out right from under of our callings every time, if we are not careful! We must guard our heart with all diligence.

We will look at what someone else that we want, and how long it took them and we want the same thing. We want it to work the same in our lives. Again, this can apply to anything. I see it A LOT in church planting!! We look at someone else’s church, their growth, how long it took them, their straggles’, what they had, how fast they grew…etc and then we get discouraged when we look at what God has given us and wonder why we don’t have the same thing or we began to strive for what God has entrusted to our neighbors and look at what God has give us.

This can happen in relationships. You can hear so many different love stories, and seen so many chick-flicks that you begin to desires what someone else has. You begin to desire someone else’s’ love story verses trusting God to write your own personal love story…unique to you and whom you’ll marry. It will not look like anyone else’s; nor do you want it to.

I had a friend tell me one time that she wanted to be a missionary. I asked her why she wasn’t pursuing that direction then if that were she felt called, and her response shocked me and broke my heart at the same time, “I’m waiting on my future husband.”

Oh, it took everything in me not to get on a soapbox in that moment!!!

YOU CANNOT WAIT UNTIL GOD DROPS SOMEONE IN YOUR LAP BEFORE YOU START DOING WHAT YOU’RE CALLED TO DO!!!

Luke 16:10 has been heavy on my heart the last few days for a lot of reasons, but also because lately I just keep hearing that phrase, “when________then __________.”

That whole, living for the “one day” instead of going, “okay God, what have you given me today!”

You want 100-200 students in your youth group? Pour into the 15 you have now! Don’t make them feel they are not enough. Pour into the ones you have because those will be your leaders and your core!!! We want the garden with the work it takes to making something grow. If God gave us what we wanted when we wanted we would not know how to handle it. Trust in the Lord’s timing, and nurture what’s he’s given you.

You want to get married? How are honoring God as a single? Are you learning to manage money, take care of a home, serving and using the gifts and talents God has given you for His glory, growing in intimacy with the Lord (Your first love)? Are you in Christian community? Travel, go on adventures, take some chances, and risk for the glory of God (be wise, but God leads us to takes leaps of faith daily). LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE! LIVE LIFE!  Marriage is one aspect of the journey, not the destination. I’ve always said, I want a marriage, not just a wedding. The wedding will be fun, no doubt, but I look forward to a marriage—doing life together.

I hear people make excuses of I’ll get married when_____________

You’re never going to “feel” ready for marriage or kids. It’s not about “feeling” ready but trust God. Walking by faith. Seek wisdom and guidance from the Lord, but at the end of the day whether is marriage or starting a family, or starting a new job, making a big move, starting a ministry, going back to school, starting a church…etc. Whatever it is for you know that it’s a process.

Also do not despise small beginnings, and get discouraged because someone doesn’t look like what you thought in the time frame you’d like.

God doesn’t work on our time timetable anyway…I’m not quite sure why we as believers haven’t figure that one out yet…Lol .

God is FAR MORE INTERESTED in our obedience, our hearts.

Even as I write this I’m reminded of a story the Lord laid on my heart a few years ago, Illustrating this same idea of taking care of the little given and then you’ll be entrusted with much. 

It’s a post I wrote called “The Garden”

One day a child comes to her father and asks him for a garden. The child proceeds to tell the father how her dream has always been to have a big, beautiful garden; full of fruits, vegetables, and every kind of beautiful flower imaginable.

The father agrees to give the child a garden. To her surprise he hands her a small, single flower. She look at it, trying not to look disappointed, and says,  “ummm, this is not a garden.” With a smile his face, the father tells the child “first you need to learn to take care of this flower. Show me you can care for one. A garden is a big responsibility; learn to care for one flower then I can give you more.”

 So the child takes the single flower outside, plants it and begins the process of nurturing, and caring for the flower. The child always tried to make sure the flower had the right amount of water and sunlight to grow and flourish. Over time the flower begins to bloom, and bloom beautifully.  The father has been watching the whole time as his child takes care of the single flower he had given her. He has watched how faithfully she has nurtured and cared for that simple flower he had given her. Although it didn’t seem like much to her…he knew what it was cultivating in her.

One day the father surprised his little girl with ANOTHER flower! The father encouraged, and praises his lovely daughter for how well she had been taking care of the one flower, and how he trusted that he could now entrust her with another to care for as well. Diligently and faithfully, the child begins to take care of the two flowers she has been given. Over time, as her father sees her continued faithfulness he gives her more and more flowers to take care of. Some require a little more work than others, but believes she can handle it…He never takes his eyes off her for a second. He watches her with a smile on his face as she faithfully and diligently worked hard at what was been put in front of her.

Then one day, on a beautiful spring afternoon, the father takes his little girl to the window and tells her to look outside.  As she walks over to the window, still rubbing her eyes from coming out a deep sleep, her breathe is taken away by the sight before her…IT’S MY GARDEN! DADDY YOU GOT ME A GARDEN!!!”

 With a smile on his face he said...yes, I did give you the garden you asked for, but you did the work on cultivating the land. You were faithful with what I gave you. Each flower I gave you, you planted and took care of, you made sure it was nurtured so that it could grow into what you see now. A garden is a big responsibility…and you have shown that you can handle such a responsibility…over time. Everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

I remember Louie Giglio saying the first  year Passion was at the  Georgia Dome, “This is what we envisioned in the beginning. This is what we saw…” But it took them 15 years of obedience, walking in the same direction, trusting God. I remember going to 7:22 at NorthPoint (Bible Studyt for College students in Alpharetta, GA) when Louie would teach and Kristian Stanfill would lead & Louie being my camp pastor each summer…and so to be in the Georgia Dome and hearing 15-20 years after he and shelly began the journey was so encouraging. That reminder to continue in the direction God is leading you, be obedience in the little entrusts to you and he will entrust you with more.

Some of us want HUGE ministries/Churches, but what are we doing with what we have? Could God really trust us with more? If he gave us what we wanted when we wanted it, 100% of the time we couldn’t handle it. He’s a good God for not always giving what we want when we want it. Some of us maybe want some awesome record contract or want to be famous for something, but could God REALLY trust you with fame? Do you want to be famous to make your name great or His? Do you want people to know who you are or do you want to point others to him? Is it about your name being in lights or making the name of Jesus famous? 

There are many dreams, desires and visions that God has given us, but my question to you and to myself is could God trust me with what I'm asking? 

Am I and are you being faithful with the little, so He can then entrust us with more for His glory!