When What God Gives Doesn’t Seem Enough

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And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Lisa’s circumstances made home-schooling the best option for her children.  But her home was small, her husband worked long hours from home and “school” had to be done at the kitchen table.  It was super messy, and it was stressful to keep her two healthy boys quiet enough for her husband to make business calls.

Her long-time friend from down the street had just moved up—into a new home so big the laundry room had two washers and two dryers.  She dropped her children off at private school in the morning and had time to exercise and decorate her home with all new furniture.

“Why, God,” she thought?  “Why didn’t you give me a house with space like that, a home with a dedicated schooling space?” she complained, enviously. As she prayed and read her Bible, the Holy Spirit led her to 2 Corinthians 9:8 which says, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Lisa didn’t like her circumstances but she believed God, accepting that what came from His hand was His best for her.

Years later, when tragedy struck, Lisa’s realized the critical value of the close relationship between herself and her sons, which God had grown at that crowded kitchen table. “God does not give us everything we want” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.”[1]

 

Resource reading: Philippians:4-9

[1] Bonhoeffer, D. (n.d.). Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes (author of The Cost of Discipleship) (page 17 of 29). Goodreads. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/29333.Dietrich_Bonhoeffer?page=17