Fretting for Nothing
We had some financial pressure at the church this past year. (Our fiscal year ends April 30.)
Starting a daughter church in Minong and bringing on another pastor to the staff (a good decision, and very VALUABLE addition, I might add) was quite a stretch for us.
I spent too many hours over the past twelve months fretting and stewing about how we were going to meet the financial challenge. We have a few thousand in reserves from more plentiful years, but I figured those funds would soon be depleted, and then, I'd be on the street selling apples.
Well, the treasurer shared the end of the year report last Thursday night: We ended up spending $346 more than we took in for the year! That's less than a dollar a day!
Just think, I did all that fretting for less than a dollar a day! Good grief!
Lord, I believe -- help me in my unbelief.
Starting a daughter church in Minong and bringing on another pastor to the staff (a good decision, and very VALUABLE addition, I might add) was quite a stretch for us.
I spent too many hours over the past twelve months fretting and stewing about how we were going to meet the financial challenge. We have a few thousand in reserves from more plentiful years, but I figured those funds would soon be depleted, and then, I'd be on the street selling apples.
Well, the treasurer shared the end of the year report last Thursday night: We ended up spending $346 more than we took in for the year! That's less than a dollar a day!
Just think, I did all that fretting for less than a dollar a day! Good grief!
Lord, I believe -- help me in my unbelief.
Maybe you should not have wasted time fretting, but...
ReplyDeleteYou were concerned throughout the year which probably made you more aware of the money being spent. Perhaps your yearly report was so good because of your concern and care not to spend foolishly.
God expects us to be responsible people with our monies.
Mark, a new missionary to Chile recently spoke in our church before departing to his family's assignment. He said that over and over he attempted to figure out a budget for them - and it was never enough to enable them to go. (He has to raise much of his own support.) After a while, the Lord helped him realize, and I quote, "God is a God of people, not a God of paper." When he quit trying to budget his way over, God provided. Blessings! Tommy
ReplyDeleteI told this at church yesterday -- and one of my parishoners gave me a dollar. "Here," he said, "I want to pay for a day's worth of fretting."
ReplyDelete