Tanya Norton
Faith: the proof of what we do not see (Heb. 11:1). As a self-proclaimed "realist", I have a hard time with the things I cannot see. Mike and I have joked for years that I do not see the glass as either half-full or half-empty, but that there really is no glass at all. I have been struggling for a couple of weeks now with seeing the unseen. Two weeks ago, Mike asked me about the possibility of him quitting his part-time job so he could focus more on ministry and the church-plant we have started. After a very poor initial reaction on my part, I asked him to give me a week to pray about it. Two weeks later, I was still undecided.

After being in the ministry with Mike for almost 20 years, my first reaction should have been-"Of course, Dear! God has called you to the ministry, has opened the doors for this church-plant, and has always taken care of us in the past." But instead, my thoughts centered around losing the part of our income that his job provides. Now, mind you, it is not a lot of money, but it is about a quarter of our total income. In today's economy, it seems rather foolish to give up a job. My other reservation about him quitting was my fear of having to explain this seeming foolishness to family and friends, many of whom will not understand.

Do you see how all my concerns were about me. My trust for my financial safety was centered on what we could provide, not what God can do. I was more afraid of what others may think than what God thinks. I have been reading through the Bible since January. As I was thinking about what God would want, He kept bringing to mind all the people in Genesis, Exodus, Luke and Acts who were asked by Him to do the seemingly foolish things-leave family and home for an unknown land, sacrifice your only son, tell Pharoah to free your people, journey through a desert, leave your careers to follow me, take the Gospel to the Gentiles. I think you get the point that I was trying to ignore...God's plan often seems foolish if seen through human eyes.

To make a long story a little shorter, I listened to God's prodding and gave Mike my blessing to quit his job. He put in his 2-week notice yesterday. Am I still struggling some with my fears? Truthfully, yes. But I know that God has always provided for us in the past, sometimes in miraculous ways, and I know firsthand the results of refusing to do God's bidding and the heartache that results. And so begins yet another balloon ride of faith in our lives....someday I will have to share the meaning behind that analogy, but for now I think I will just enjoy the ride.
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