When I was a newlywed, I entered a contest to get a free case of toilet paper. My mission was to submit a "saying" that had to do with toilet paper. Easy. I had been writing this wonderful piece of literary genius in my friends year books since junior high. Hang onto your hats, grab your tissues and get ready to be amazed because here it is:
"May your life be like a roll of toilet paper......long and useful."
I know....AMAZING, but put that aside for one minute as we talk of other things. I know, hard to do as you have been so "wowed" by my talents, but stay with me. I am a super shopper. I hit the sales, clip the coupons, and scour the clearance rack. I can tell you what day of the year Target toys go to 70% off. It is a gift and shopping smart to stay within our family's budget is a job I don't take lightly. Recently, I came across a great deal on toilet paper. It was every couponers dream and I stocked up! Mega packs of toilet paper were stuffed into every nook and cranny of our linen closet. We were ready for the toilet paper armageddon. No bottom in our home would be unclean should there be a T.P. shortage. I had a great feeling of security around our toilet paper stash......until God stepped in.
I was invited by one of my friends this year to join a group of women with two main goals.....to rid our lives and homes of excess to make more room for God. We are using a book called,
7, An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, by Jen Hatmaker as our guide and will be digesting seven areas in our lives that we live in excess. This month we are focusing on food. My husband has been so supportive and has agreed to join in what each months focus will be. In March we are only eating seven foods. To say it has been hard is putting it mildly. I am cranky, hungry, and have crazy brain fog but have been trying to focus on what this month is meant to be....letting God in more of my life. When I am hungry or cannot eat another apple, I force myself to open up to what God is laying before me. What opportunities is he giving me this day? You see, another focus of our project is to serve as Jesus served. To get on our knees and wash some feet. We want to do more than just write a check or drop a donation in a box. We want to connect to the source of the need.
Since the month began, I have been praying that God would place in front of me a need that our group or even just myself could meet. I wanted to do something tangible to show the love of Christ. When I was hungry and cranky, I prayed. My feet were just itching to do God's work. Then, it came. A need born out of an incredible love for Christ and little children. One of my friends from high school (who more than likely has that epic piece of toilet paper poetry in one of her year books) emails to ask for prayer. She was having a hard time. A hard time finding sleep and peace as she worried about finances and her family. You see, this beautiful woman has taken in three foster children in the last six months. Add to this, her three biological children, a family household on one income, and the unexpected loss of her dear Father in December....let's just say, she is a faithful, strong, and obedient woman. I love her heart for the Lord. One day I told her I admire her for what she is doing and she said, "Don't admire me. Just pray for me."
In her email she talked about her stresses and her loneliness in this new journey their family is on. Yep, I've been there. You see, every one of us that takes a child into their home whether through adoption, foster care, or other means knows of this loneliness, stress, and shame. While our stories and journeys are all unique, there is a thred that flows through them all that makes us the same. I have found great strength in this unity and four of the women in our group have ties to adoption in some way, on each side. I knew immediately, this was who God had sent for us to support.
I told my friend about our group, what we were doing, and then asked if she would send us a list of her needs. I told her I wanted tangible needs. She did not dissapoint. She, of course, asked for prayer, but then sent a beautiful list that is fully linked to a Mother's heart. I quickly put together an email that night and sent it out to our group. You would not believe what these women accomplished in 24 hours. It was a sight to behold as I watched each woman, all of us with unique God given gifts, respond. Incredible connections were made, emails were sent, and research was done as we tried to see what needs we could meet.
Enter toilet paper. It was one of the needs on her list. Oh, I got that! I can give her a pack since we have so much! I put a pack on our spare room bed. The whole next day as were trying to organize what we could help her with through our resources and gifts, I kept having this feeling about the toilet paper. I knew God was telling me to give her all we had. But Lord, don't you know the "how to get ahead shopping principles?" Sale + Coupon + Buy ahead principle = Huge savings! This is how one can stretch their budget. If I give her all I have then I'll have to start over. Toilet paper was checked off my list for a long while! But Lord, but...but....it was no use. I knew if I studied his word what He would ask of me:
1. God is the owner of everything we have: Psalms 24:1 — “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
2. God is exceedingly generous and gave us everything: Romans 8:32-33 — “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
3. Giving is what we are called to do as His followers:
Mark 10:21 — “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ ”
I knew what I needed to do. Not because my friend needed toilet paper, but because I needed to increase my faith and trust in the Lord. I needed to lessen myself that He may become more. My linen closet has a lot more room in it but my heart is fuller and the journey is richer.
Oh, and by the way, I won that contest mentioned in the beginning. Perhaps that was the start of my T.P. problems!
Matthew 6:24 — “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
