Obedience.

My relationship with the Lord is not based on obedience.  We have a relationship.  A weird relationship, I guess.  I mean, it's not 50/50, and we are not equal.  I don't approach Him as my equal.  He is God, the great I AM, Creator, the Alpha and Omega.  I am simply and humbly, His daughter.  

Yet obedience comes from love.  "If you love me, you will obey my commands." 

The fact is that I love Him, and choose to follow Him.  

I have been called to do something so outside of my comfort zone, and I think I have hives from it.  

Do you remember the rich young ruler in the Bible, when Jesus said to give up your possessions and give to the poor?  But the man walked away.  He chose stuff over Jesus.  Do you remember Zaccheaus?  When he met Jesus, he decided to immediately give half of his possessions to the poor.  Then there is the widow in the temple who gave all that she had to the Lord.

The Lord, through these stories, has turned my life upside down.  We have been trying to teach our kids as the Lord is teaching us, that we are rich.  I grew up "poor".  I accepted it.  I wasn't ashamed.  But I was wrong.  I wasn't poor.  I have never been poor.  I have never been truly hungry.  I have never been truly alone.  I may not have what others around me have, but I have lived disillusioned to think that for any moment that I was poor.

Through His Word, the Lord clearly said to me the other night while at a friend's house, "Sell half of your possessions and give to the poor."  My face still warms up when I remember that moment.  It was followed by, "Next Saturday."  Lord?  One week?  Got it. 

I didn't wrestle with it at that moment.  I was ready.  I was ready because I was in a home where we were intently praying, seeking Jesus, in His Word, and hearing Godly men share with us.  

Wrestling came later.  I'll share some of it soon.

Jared was totally on board.  We prayed and sought how to walk our kids through such a huge, quick change in our lives.  We've read scripture and the book "Ronnie Wilson's Gift" by Francis Chan.  I am too tired and too close to tears to share how that initial moment went when we told our sweet kids that we were going to be selling half of what we own.

As for giving to the poor, we love the ministry of Samaritan's Purse, (you may have heard of Operation Christmas Child) and have their gift catalog.  Their goal is to share the gospel, and we want our gift to have an eternal impact.  My Princess wants to get some chicks for a family, and my Warrior wants to stock a fishing pond for a family.  

One week.  Following isn't always easy.  But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than walking with my God.