I’m doing my best; I’m doing the best I can; this is the best I can do. Have you made any of those statements before? If you have you’re not alone. But is it really your best?
When things aren’t going well in our life, as people, we are quick to say: “I’m doing the best I can,” but are we?
Times of struggles don’t define us, yet they have a way of revealing who we really are. For instance, if you’re a person of courage, then hard times will make you more courageous to step out and do things you never thought you could do. If you’re a giving person, then when money is tight, you will find new and exciting ways to give.
If you’re a person who’s not very motivated, and you lose your job; you may take a little more time to find another one. As you may see that time as an opportunity to relax. No matter your personality, one way or another, you will give your best to something. It’s just a matter of identifying what your best is, and your motivation for doing it.
When we were in between a career change, we used that time as an opportunity to serve God. We put no limits on what He would have us do; we just knew we had a love for people and funny enough we had a lot of time on our hands.
Yes, we needed to find work, but realistically you can only search the web so many hours of the day. Therefore, we used our time to serve in our local church. We drove people to appointments; we made meals for families, and we volunteered in women and men’s group. Ironically, it was in the serving, where we found comfort, joy, peace and unexpected blessings!
There was an event we organized called Happy Hour. It was a time for the women to shop, have coffee and fellowship. That kind of event took a lot of planning and time to put together. Since we were in between careers, we used our extra time and put our heart into making this event a success. We contacted vendors, organized volunteers, re-arranged the sanctuary to accommodate the event, helped prepare appetizers, and we even prayed with some of the vendors. Nevertheless, what stood out the most was what took place the morning of the event when we finished the prep work.
We remember so clearly getting a phone call from our tax preparer who told us we needed to story by the office to sign off on our tax return.
We took that as they wanted to tell us in person that we owed, or we weren’t getting any money back, which was the history for the last several years. However, before we hung up the phone, we asked our tax preparer “does that mean we owe?” She said: “oh no, we show here that you will be getting back over $3, 000!”
You talk about perfect timing! Some may call that a coincidence; we call it God’s favor and blessings in His timing. During a week that we surrender ourselves to give Him our best, He gave His best to our family.
Remember all that happens to us isn’t always about us. People are watching how we respond to life to see if we walk out what we really believe. After Timberley shared the photos of the event with her best friend, this is the email she received:
Jesus encouraged us to not just do what’s expected of us but to exceed what’s expected. In Matthew 5:41 (NKJV) it says, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
Purposing to give our best is not a new concept; it’s as old as time. Our proof of this concept comes from the Bible that shows us: Abraham gave Isaac (Genesis 22); The Parable of the Widow showed she gave all she had (Mark 12:41-44); God gave Jesus (John 3:16), and Jesus gave His life (John 10:17-18, 1 John 3:16). So then, what will you give God?
~ André and Timberley Gray
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