Hebrews 13:16 "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased."
Amino Acids. They are the building block of proteins. Admittedly, I was not a disciplined student in school. I don't remember much of what I was supposedly learned. Thankfully, I did have some great English teachers, but when it came to science, it was pittsville for me. But this one thing I do remember: amino acids are the building block of proteins.
This last week, I witnessed first hand Christian "amino acids." OK, don't check out on me just yet. Our bodies need protein, right? Protein is a fundamental component of all living cells. It is necessary for an organism to function properly. Do we all not need Christian protein in our life? Even more, I'm talking about the amino acids, the building block of proteins -- the very basics.
Let me explain more. This summer, my daughter and I are going on a mission trip to Colombia. This will be my ninth trip to Barranquilla, Colombia, and my 14 year old daughter's fifth trip. I love Colombia, but the decision to go was not made lightly. I prayed and prayed, asking God to clearly show me this was HIS will, not just mine. One big factor in that decision was the fundraising required. You see, after you go to the same place on a mission trip several times, it's really hard to keep raising money to go again, year after year. I felt in my heart that God was opening the door for us to go again, but our family didn't even have the $200 per person to officially make the deposit for the trip.
But where God guides, God provides.
I received an email from our church several weeks ago, saying someone anonymously donated the $400 deposit for Amber and I to go. Step one, whether or not to go, confirmed. We then sent out our support letters to family and friends. In years past, we've been able to financially supplement what we couldn't raise, but that isn't the case this year. We were 100% reliant on God for this one, which is exactly what He wanted to so He could be glorified.
Donations started coming in, and we were zeroing in on what we needed. But also zeroing in was the deadline. Half of our money is due in a few days, and we still needed almost $700. Like I said, everyone needs protein to survive. And if I was going to survive in this fundraising quest, I needed some amino acids. The thing is, God knew that. He surrounded me with living, breathing "amino acids" found in my life group and friend circle. One friend outright told me, "You're having a garage sale. I'll help you get it organized and work it for you." Did you catch that? She planned my fundraising garage sale for me! Building block one. People started donating items for the sale. Building block two, three, four, five. Thursday night came, time to set up for the sale. Our garage was literally half full of items. Building block six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and eleven showed up to help me get it organized. They stayed late in the evening. Emails and texts came in from more building blocks. "I can't help, but I'm praying." By twelve noon on the first day of the sale, God had provided all the remaining funds that Amber and I needed for our mission trip.
What I witnessed this weekend was truly a miracle, unfolding before my eyes. You see, I couldn't even work the garage sale on Friday, since I had to work my real job. Of course, God can accomplish His will any way He wants, but it's especially rewarding when it unfolds using willing, selfless, amino acids. Yes, amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Protein that we cannot survive without.
As you can imagine, I've been on a God-high the last few days. I'm humbled by being the recipient of such massive blessings from others. I've also been asking God how I can be a blessing to others, in the same way these amino acids in my life have been to me. One way He showed me is by helping others in their fundraising efforts with the extra money from my sale. If you asked me even a week ago if I would financially be able to do that, the answer would have been a firm "no." But that's the cool thing about amino acids. They build on each other to make protein - necessary for life.
Perhaps it's an odd comparison, this concept of a Christian amino acid, but what happened this weekend couldn't have happened without each one of those people working together to get the job done. One block at a time. And I couldn't have been used to bless someone else without those initial building blocks of protein helping me.
Take a look at the verse to memorize for this week. Hebrews 13:16 "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased." The author uses a direct address here. It's an order. In a Beth's blog paraphrase, he says "Be a selfless amino acid. That's an order, and don't forget it. God will be happy with you for being obedient."
How about you? Are you being an amino acid, building protein into the lives of those around you? Are you making a conscious choice to build life into someone, block by block? You don't have to have money to be an amino acid. No, in fact, all you have to do is be obedient, just like the verse says. So this week, don't forget to sacrificially do good and share with others. God will be pleased. Be a building block in someone's life. Be an amino acid.
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com
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