Eight of the last 48 hours last week I spent in a surprisingly comfortable black swivel chair in AIM’s conference room. We were all there for one dreadful purpose: Support raising. Or training for support raising, rather. It was kind of like an extended version of my visit to the dentist. I haven’t decided which one was more painful.
Too bad both were also unerringly essential.
One of the worst tortures this world has come up with is letting someone else floss your teeth. They don’t seem to care if your gums are screaming. They can’t feel a thing. The other chief torment is talking about money.
Because, after all, money is not usually the very heart of the matter. It often has something to do with what we’re loving - or not loving. What we’re willing to let go of and how we think about others and ourselves. But that’s only one of the things we learned. Here’s some more:
1) Support raising is not a dirty word. Not even in missionary circles.
2) Honesty, communication, and humility are helpful qualities to have even outside of marriage.
3) Prayer is key. Prayer is always key. Because God didn’t write a handbook entitled “Support Raising Do’s and Don’t’s.” Instead, He pulls out a chair and invites us to sit down with Him and have a little chat . . . even if it takes months or years or a lifetime.
4) I’m not alone, and my 319 facebook friends are not about to simultaneously un-friend me. My value has nothing to do with my bank statement.
5) I’m not the only one who burns simple things like pizza and popcorn. I’m also not the only one who thinks chocolate is a vegetable.
6) We need each other.
7) I learned my lesson. (No offense, but this one’s written more for God’s benefit than yours.) I would like to state here that I have submitted to sitting under eight hours worth of teaching and a visit to the dentist, all in the same 48 hours. Point taken. Please don’t make me do it again!
So, what's next? Well, instead of dentist's drills and swivel chairs, I am locking myself in my car. For 18 hours. Apparently, it's one of my favorite pastimes. The good news is at the end of the 18-hour self-imprisonment, I will be in Nebraska. Unless I get lost. Which is a distinct possibility. I'm taking off tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 5:00 a.m., and hope to be home before midnight! For those of you I am leaving, thank you for your hospitality. Georgia isn't home, but it is beautiful. For those of you I am coming to see . . . Woohoo!! It's almost Christmas!! I am looking forward to everything but the cold.
