Lately, God has been challenging us about the most incredible sermon of all time: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We forget all too easily the encouragements and commandments He gives to be hungry for Him, humble, merciful, pure, to be full of peace and to take heart when persecuted, to be salt and light, to obey His teachings, to forgive and restore relationships, to watch what we say, to give more than what is expected, to give generously in humility and with a willing heart, to pray in admiration of God, to have God as number one in our lives, to walk in faith and trust Him to provide for ALL our needs, to be understanding of other people and not judge what they do, to look at ourselves before condemning others, to ask and seek God, to be wise in who and what we believe, to have an intimate relationship with God, and to LOVE others, especially our enemies. Jesus then goes on to say that not following these commandments is like building our houses on sand with no strong foundation. WOW. I don’t know about you, but I know that I definitely build my house on sand once in a while. No – scratch that. I’ve been building my house on sand every day!!! And I’ll give you JUST ONE example as to how.
We are extremely blessed. We have been blessed with faithful supporters both in Thailand and Australia. Sometimes our support even comes from other countries. And I’d say we are faithful with the money we receive. I’d say we use it to expand God’s Kingdom in the ways that we have an opportunity to help. However, in our YWAM Ubon team there are about 4 faithful young men and 1 family – Thai and Lao – who have NO support. Some days they struggle to buy 2-minute noodles or a couple of eggs for their mealtime. When we see this, we help them. But what about when we don’t see it? What about when we forget to check on them? What about when I’m at home, with a lovely vegetable soup and rice, along with a fruit smoothie for dessert, and snacks in between meals, and these young men and young family are at their rooms in town wondering how they’re going to even eat at all? Then we meet with them during the day, encourage them to find some work in the workplace to help support themselves, as well as all the volunteer work they do for YWAM Ubon, and we then come back home and forget to even think of them at our next meal.
We’ve been blessed a lot in the last 6 months. We haven’t felt tight in money because the DTS was on and our meals, petrol, and house rent were taken care of. However, now that DTS is over, in these last few weeks I’ve gone back to holding my breath like I did in the first 2 years of our marriage, wondering how we’re going to buy food to last us until the end of the month. When life gets like this, it’s tempting to hold onto every single baht you receive. But actually, we are called to do the opposite. When we find ourselves in need it's a sign that we need to give even more. The irony is that when we give of what we have, we will have more. But when we hold onto what we have, we will have less. Recently, Noom suggested that we start to SHARE EVERY baht we receive, to share with these brothers and sisters just like they were our own family. In other words, if we get 100, they get 50 and we get 50 – no matter what our needs are. It’s about taking care of our team, or as God sees it: of our FAMILY. When Noom suggested this I felt a huge peace, but I also became afraid. I started remembering again what it used to be like before DTS: to live by faith, and to have to trust God for everything, and now my eyes are open again. I can see the ways in which I have broken Jesus’ commandments in the Sermon on the Mount…
I haven’t been hungry enough for Him. I’ve been worrying about taking care of my son, taking care of my own health so that I can breastfeed my son, and about making sure my husband also has good health. But WHAT ABOUT THE YOUNG MEN ON STAFF WITH US? WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER FAMILY WHO ALSO HAS A YOUNG NURSING CHILD? Aren’t they just as important? Isn’t their value and their health just as important as ours? Doesn’t God love them just as much as He loves us? So I’ve been selfish, and I’m guilty of not loving and going the extra mile for those around me. I’m guilty of going out to buy a yogurt in break time without asking them all if they want something too. I’ve been judging them in a way, encouraging them to find a part-time job and take responsibility of their own needs, which IS important…but am I myself looking for a way to make money? No! I’m doing the same thing as they are: serving God and trusting that He will take care of me. And there’s nothing wrong with that. As a member on the leadership team in YWAM Ubon, I haven’t been taking care of my teammates like they were my own family. And because of this I have fallen short. THANK GOD FOR HIS GRACE!
I don’t know what it will look like after this, but what I want our family and friends to know, for purposes of transparency, faithfulness and accountability, is that from now on the money that we receive will help Thai people even more than before. I don’t want to give just 10% or 20% or even 50%, I want to give my all to God’s Kingdom by being transparent, generous and merciful to those around me – first starting from my own team. Their needs – food, rent, petrol…need to be met. They are valuable, they are important. And God calls us to act as though others are even more important than us. In this particular season, God is calling our family to be His hands of provision for these precious brothers and sisters. And if that means bringing myself back down to their level of wondering how the next meal or the house rent will be provided, then bring it on. This is what being a Christian is all about. This is what LOVE is all about. If we receive, we give. If we have a lot, they will have a lot. If they have little, we also need to be willing to have little. This is how God wants me and my family to live – in faith that He will provide for our every need.
Please note: When money is given specifically for other purposes or special projects, eg. construction of the village house, setting up Bethany Home, direct sponsorship for a Thai staff or specifically for our family, we honour that and the money will always go to the cause that the donor wishes – if for some reason the money needs to go to another cause the donor will be contacted and asked for permission first.
