Day 31: Unexpected Solutions

Oh, the lazy days of summer. They feel packed, even though not much happens. Does that make sense? I think the slower pace I expect makes "less happening" still feel like "too much happening."

This week I'm celebrating the joy of an unexpected -- and better -- solution to a dilemma.

I planned to tithe this week. My original plan was to spend it at church as a Vacation Bible School leader.

Well, with the lazy pace of summer, I didn't manage to sign up to help at VBS, and the requests for helpers eventually stopped coming.

Great! I thought. I'll tithe my week in a way I prefer. I'll write up those interviews I'm supposed to be doing for Intervarsity. No offense, kids, but VBS is exhausting. Exhilarating but exhausting. And ours is 9am until 2pm. Plus, if I'm going to get serious about writing, I need to get serious about making myself write every day.

As VBS got closer, I grew more excited about a whole week of writing, every day from 9am to 2pm.

Then, two Sundays ago, another call went out. The church needed a few more leaders. Would anyone out there be willing to serve?

I sighed. There goes my great plans. I thought about not responding, but knew I must. Tithing my week meant doing God's work where ever He wanted, not where ever I wanted. His week, His choice. So I emailed the VBS leader and asked if she still needed help.

Now here's the cool part: she needed someone to help with crafts on Wednesday and Thursday, the days the other leader wasn't available. How perfect! How affirming! This week, I was able to participate in the excitement of VBS on two full (exhausting) days and to write the other three days.

Well, sort of write. My stubborn heart still refuses to sit still for the hard stuff, so my writing time was also laundry time, email checking time, packing for trips time, errand time, etc. All the same, more writing was done that would have happened if the kids had been home.

This unexpected solution serves as a reminder of God's ways of answering our problems. He isn't limited to the solutions we see. He can give more than we can possibly ask or imagine.