There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
   that can succeed against the LORD. Proverbs 21:30
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Happy Monday, everyone!  I know nobody likes Mondays, but they seem to be good blogging days for me :-P
I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter celebrating the power and magnitude of what God has done for us!  I hope each one of you experienced the new life that you have through the death and resurrection of Christ.

On another note, I would like you to take a moment to read the scripture verse at the beginning of the post.  All right, so why did I put that verse there?  Well, last night, my fiance and I were talking over budgets and finances with his parents.  Planning a life together can be very difficult and it takes a lot of time.  Everything looked good.  Then came the scary question:

"What will you do if one of you loses a job?"

To be honest, we live in an economy where usually both the husband and wife have to work.  I know many couples like that.  Part of me wonders if they all had this scary of a question posed to them when they were working on finances.  It can be easy at this time we live in to lose a job.  People get laid off, companies shut down, contracts fall through, etc.  However, I realized that a lot of what I have based my future plans on is rooted in conventional wisdom.

There is nothing wrong with conventional wisdom.  However, a lot of people I have talked to say that Chris and I should just wait to get married until one of us has degree and a job with benefits, etc.  Yes, that would be wise because we would not have to worry about money.  However, the Lord has called us to something different.  I always say, the Lord pays for what He orders.  For example, my church will start paying staff members in May, the same month that finances start to go down because families go on vacation over summer, etc.  Conventional wisdom would say that my pastor should wait to pay his staff until the school year starts back and families attend more regularly.  However, my pastor knows that this is what the Lord wants him to do.  And the Lord will pay for what He has ordered. 

Here we get to the key point of the verse above.  No wisdom, no amount of earthly money or earthly job security can stand against the Lord.  Yes, we need to work hard and be good stewards of the finances the Lord has given.  However, we should not be stingy and we should not cling to our money or our jobs with clenched fists.  Why?  Because when you are holding everything you have before God with clenched fists, He has to pry open your hands to receive the things in your life that should be turned over to Him.  Everything in our lives belongs to Him and we should not hold it back.  We should come before him with open hands.  Be willing to say: "God, if I lose my job, I don't know what on earth I will do.  But you can do things that surpass earthly wisdom, so let me hand this job over to You."

I may seem crazy.  Why would I tell people not to worry about money or job security in an economy like this?  Well, I am not the first person to tell you not to worry.  Jesus Himself said "who, by worrying, can add a day to his life?".  The Lord will provide for you, for me, for our family and friends, for our churches, and our country.  I'm not perfect.  I have anxiety problems for heaven's sake!  But I have learned that I cannot add anything to my life by worrying.  It only makes things more depressing. 

Be open to throwing convention to the wind when God calls you to something that seems impossible.  Remember, all things are possible with God and you can to ALL THINGS through CHRIST who STRENGTHENS you!

Happy Monday again!
God Bless,
Julia