You don\u2019t want to deny your kids opportunities, right?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it troubled me so much to have to tell my youngest daughter we couldn\u2019t help her.<\/p>\n
After a disastrous first year of college, she had to appeal to re-enroll this semester. Now she\u2019s getting straight As. But Sunday she told us she needed $1,162 to pay college bills today, or she cannot return next semester.<\/p>\n
Well, Julie and I have been working for years just to pay off bills from when our oldest daughter was seriously ill. Even with $24,000 in annual income, we\u2019ve made progress on that for five years. But the last two months we went backwards, piling up more bills, mostly because our ministry costs have increased 400 percent in the last three years. We had to tell Brynna we couldn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n
But that ate at me Monday. It bothered me Tuesday. It irritated me Wednesday. I never want to deny my kids an opportunity because we\u2019re in ministry.<\/p>\n
And I didn\u2019t want to tell you about it because I don\u2019t want people giving to us to meet our needs. I believe people should give to God through our ministry to glorify His name.<\/p>\n
But Wednesday I realized we can help her \u2026 if Julie and I take a step of faith.<\/p>\n
In order to pay my daughter\u2019s college bills, I\u2019m taking an advance from next month\u2019s check. I\u2019m giving her the money that has come in for next month. I\u2019m putting myself in a position where I am completely reliant on God\u2019s care and provision, because we have almost no money now and nothing in the pipeline for next month. In fact, at this point, if nothing further comes in, we\u2019ll owe NTM more than $400.<\/p>\n
Still, I wasn\u2019t going to tell you. I\u2019m only telling you now because later Wednesday I realized this is an opportunity for you to take part in glorifying God.<\/p>\n
You see, Brynna struggles with the idea of following a God whom, she believes, does not keep His promises. She doesn\u2019t think God\u2019s providing for us if we\u2019re always struggling to stay above the line where we\u2019re paying off debt instead of wracking more up.<\/p>\n
Wouldn\u2019t it be great if we could change her view of God?<\/p>\n
I know I can trust Him to take care of us. And I am so very much hoping that God is going to stun my daughter into His arms with the abundance of His care and provision. You can be part of that by praying and giving, and by sharing this opportunity with others.<\/p>\n