What you can Handle

I remember planning for my first women's spiritual retreat with the sisters in my ministry.  I took care to pause and hear from God on what should be done.  I pressed ahead although my treasurer was worried at times.  You see, if God said it - it would come to pass.  We planned for one hundred women who wanted to hear clearer from God.  No advertisement, but by word of mouth.  Yes, it was a bold move, but then we serve a bold God. 

Two days before the retreat was to begin was on us.  We did not have the numbers.  I was clear that I had heard correctly about the retreat- not the numbers- but the retreat.  I called my church to see if we could borrow what we needed for the accommodations as we were short.  Since this was not a ministry of my church the funds for those ministries was low.  But. . . don't you love buts?  God's buts anyway.  But the treasurer told me that he would have what I needed.  One minister went by the church the next day and picked up a check from the treasurer's personal account. 

We cried and I told him we would pay him back as soon as we could.  He told me not to do that.   He had watched the work I had done with the young people through acting, dance and in their lives and he knew I was making a difference for women.  But God!

The retreat touched each women in her own way.  But . . . yes another.  But we didn't have one hundred women.  We have a total of 32 women.  Thirty two women with accommodations and food for one hundred women paid.  I was troubled by the kow numbers, and I kept waiting for women to just show up.  That first night after the women had finished that evening, I had laid down marveling over what had happened that day for each person, thanking God for the day.  Then God said about the numbers, "I gave you what you could handle." 

Did you see it?  I was clear on almost every aspect of what I was to do.  Even when the money was low, to the dismay of my treasurer, I kept going.  I don't remember now if the number was chosen because of the women who expressed interest.  I do remember, "I gave you what you could handle."  When God points us on a direction we are to move.  We may not have all the details but we must have faith in what God will do.  Too often we hear the way to go and we run with it.  We fill in all details and go.  That is okay, but many times, in our haste to do good we go with our details, our directions.  I used to tell my seminary students we jump out and design our ministries and then tell God, "Come bless what I have done for you."

Watch, wait, listen, then move when your direction is clear, trusting that God gives you what you can handle.  Don't worry about what others are doing, or not doing.  You do you.  As F.G. Sampson used to tell me, don't let anyone out you you.  God give you what you can handle, that is Divine Favor. type to you later.