On Garage Sales and Faithfulness

If you follow me on Facebook, you're more than aware of the Garage Sale that I'm having this weekend.

Sorry for blowing up your news feeds, but we've got a lot of stuff to get rid of and we've got money to raise!

Most of you also know about my job. For those of you who don't, let me introduce you:

These are my students. They are superstars.

I work at a small Christian school in Jacksonville that's doing some pretty awesome things. In particular, we're raising world-changers. No big deal.

All joking aside, I teach English at this small school. We are not just teachers, we are disciple-makers whose biggest hope is to coach and guide these students to be successful, excellent, intelligent Christians. Each and every one of these teachers are excellent in their fields, passionate about the material, and most importantly, they are on fire for answering the Great Commission: to make disciples.

I love my job. There has never been a time in my life when I felt like my job had more meaning.

I also love my husband. If it weren't for him, I would not have been able to accept a position at this school. The reason for that is because this job is a ministry. This particular ministry required me (and my husband) to make certain financial sacrifices.

So, I accepted a pay cut in order to do something much more fulfilling with my time and life, and I have not regretted this decision. This past school year, as it was my first, has been trying and difficult. It has not come without frustration and insecurity, and has stretched me and made me grow. But it has been the most fulfilling year also.

In my last blog post, I talked about trusting God. My life has been a series of events and seasons that have required me to trust God over and over again, and he has always proven faithful.

This past season required me to trust him with finances more than I ever have before. It has really been strange to not bring a lot of dough to the table on my own--as someone who has worked steadily since sixteen-years-old, feeling dependent was not something I was ready for.

My husband and I were at once reminded of God's faithfulness when I very first took this job. My husband confidently said "yes" even though we weren't sure how we would manage. Not long after that, he was blessed with a raise and promotion at his job. This promotion almost made up for the amount I was going to lose from my income by taking my new job. I knew then that God had some pretty amazing things in store.

As you know, we found out in January that we would be welcoming our first little one into the world. We are BEYOND thrilled to be entering into this season, but it did not come without an onslaught of insecurity and doubt. I had a lot of reasons to question my future and wonder in anxiety.

Because of maternity leave and this big change that's coming, I will be teaching less classes next year, which means another pay cut. I was at once nervous, but then relieved. Nervous for what was going to happen to us financially, but relieved to have a less strenuous schedule with Baby coming.

I have been trying to no avail to find a part-time job for the Summer. It has become evident that maybe I need to take some time to rest in God's faithfulness.

In the week since the last day of school, with two paychecks left from last school year still on their way, we've already seen evidence of God's faithfulness once again. Some family of mine have been extremely generous in helping us prepare for Baby's arrival. It was unexpected and unsolicited. What an amazing surprise!

I am so confident in the faithfulness of God, that I look toward a Summer without my regular pay check and I know that my husband and I will not be in want for anything. I am not worried, I am not anxious; I am excited to see the ways that God plans to show off in our lives.

Now, in the spirit of preparation, I have planned my very first Garage Sale for this Saturday! There were multiple motives for this (as is typically the case with garage sales): I do not want to be a packrat, and am eager to get rid of things we do not use anymore. But I also want to raise some money to prep for Baby's arrival!

I am coming into this Garage Sale with a sense of expectation. The choosing and pricing of each item I am selling has been prayerfully considered, and I am really expecting this to be another opportunity for God to show himself off.

BONUS: My friends, the Brownings, are joining us for this Garage Sale to raise money to fund their Ethiopian adoption! I also have high expectations for them--I know this will be another opportunity for God to show off for them!