Maybe…

Until I know for sure, I think I’ll err on the side of trusting Him.

Then I read Mark 12:41-44 and my thoughts are flipped upside down.

I am challenged to see that it’s not how much I give, but how I leverage what I been have given for the benefit of others. No matter how small an amount that might be. I know several people who have blessed my family and I through what might seem like small sacrifices to others, but to them was a huge sacrifice of leveraging what they were given.

Maybe the right question isn’t, “How can I make more so I can give more?” but rather, “How can I leverage more of what I have right now for the benefit of others?”

And it doesn’t always have to be monetarily.

January 11
“I’ve Got Your Back…
These are the words that entrepreneurs, painters, artists, statesmen, customer service pioneers and writers need to hear.
Not true. They don’t need to hear them, they need to feel them.
No artist needs a fair weather friend, an employee or customer or partner who waits to do the calculus before deciding if they’re going to be there for them.
No, if you want her to go all in, if you want her to take the risk and brave the fear, then it sure helps if you’re there too, no matter what. There’s a cost to that, a pain and risk that comes from that sort of trust. After all, it might not work. Failure (or worse! embarrassment) might ensue. That’s precisely why it’s worth so much. Because it’s difficult and scarce.
Later, when it’s all good and it’s all working, your offer of support means very little. The artist never forgets the few who came through when it really mattered.
Who’s got your back? More important, whose back do you have?”

If you’re like me you probably long for friends who would be willing to tell you this and mean it with their actions. And if you’re like me you probably want to be that kind of friend. I wonder how richer our lives would be with these types of relationships. How confident would we be in our steps of faith knowing there was someone with us through thick and thin? What if there were people who stood by you even when you failed? How much more would we be willing to brave what we believe God calling us to do? I believe the church can be, and should be, a place where these types of relationships are formed.

Have you ever had someone stand up for you or stick by you during a mistake or failure? Have you ever stood by someone or stood up for them through a risk they took?

To me it’s somewhat hilarious, but there was something about his demeanor and what he said that spoke to me. You see, this world is full of people and forces that want to see us fail. Fail at whatever it is we believe we’re called by God to do. We hear these voices telling us daily that we can’t do it, that we’re not good enough, that we might as well quit. Sometimes they are completely audible from someone, but other times they come in the form of circumstances or situations we find ourselves in. Maybe illness, lack of encouragement, people you trust jump ship on you, negative comments on your blog, etc. And sometimes I just feel like “going off” on these voices! But what this interview reminds me of is that even when no one else does, we still have to believe! We still have to believe in ourselves and what God has called each of us to in carrying out his message of hope. Will we fail at times? Of course! But failure shouldn’t stop us from believing. And when you meet even minor successes feel free, maybe not in an interview, but privately, to let those negative “voices” know you did it in spite of them, and because of the one voice who always believes in you. It might not always be the loudest, but it is always there.

By the way I have nothing against the Patriots. So please don’t call me a New England hater. I just loved this interview!

I’m convinced that the majority of us live about 98% accountable. The problem with being 98% accountable is that it’s about as useless as not being accountable at all.
It might even be more dangerous.
You see, you go to your small group.
You meet with your accountability partner.
You even intentionally confess just enough to seem open and honest.
But you guard and conceal the 2% that is slowly gaining momentum in the dark.
Provers 28:13 says,
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Confess?
Even the 2%?
Especially the 2%.
Today I’m praying you have at least one relationship where you can be fully known and fully loved for it’s in that moment you find yourself coming fully alive.
How are you doing with the final 2%?