I like to be prepared for anything that can go wrong. The Prom Squad has always done its best to prepare and plan, especially when we take the Prom Closet on the road.
The day we left for Winston-Salem to help launch the Triad Prom Closet was no different. A plan was put in place. All we had to do was stick to the plan. No surprises.
The rest of the story is hard to admit, especially when we are afraid that our husbands will be upset, or worse, make fun of us.
When we arrived at the school, we started to unhitch the trailer that housed all the Prom on the Go stuff. “Give me the key,” Tammy said. “I don’t have the key, I thought you had the key,” I said.
Needless to say, the trailer stayed hitched to the car. I can just see God rolling His eyes out loud at me at this point! It has been 14 seasons of Prom Closet and sometimes we feel we still can't get it together.
On this day I learned several lessons.
- When God is getting ready to UNLOCK something out of you, he takes you to a place that is familiar. The Disciples in a boat. A woman at a well.
- Confirmation doesn't mean affirmation.
- I have gotten so used to the God of comfort that I forgot the nature of God that UNLOCKS the greatness in all of us.
The lessons that I learned are right there in 1 Kings 17:9-14.
(v9) God had instructed Elijah to go to Zarephath where He directed a widow to supply Elijah with food. (v10) The widow was there gathering sticks and Elijah asked her for bread.
Do you see what I see? Lesson #1: When God is getting ready to UNLOCK something out of us he takes us to a familiar place. Not Elijah. I am talking about the widow! God had her in a familiar place and just like me she had a plan.
(v12) She told Elijah that she didn't have any bread, but she did have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Her plan was to gather the sticks and go home and make a meal for her and her son so they could eat one last meal before they died. She is preparing for the worst-case scenario. She had just enough oil and flour to make bread.
I often get asked “where are you putting all those dresses?” Many people say “You are running out of room. You need a bigger space.” I often smile and I must admit that up to this point I didn't have an answer that would satisfy me. But God did UNLOCK it for me. We may not have what others think we need but we do have what it takes to serve God. The widow had the ingredients. We all have what it takes even when we don't have all that we need.
The widow acted based on her belief of how the story would end, even though that end was tragic. When the key was lost, I held the belief that we were out of hope. I was holding on to my last meal of bread: my plan, my anxiety, thinking how disappointed people were going to be, and having to admit that help was needed. My focus was on the provision of finding those keys. I even asked my husband to go look for them where the trailer was parked at the church. I gave him certain spots to look for the keys. My focus was on provision, not my provider.
That takes me to Lesson #2 - Confirmation doesn't mean affirmation.
(v13) Elijah asks the widow to not be afraid and to go home and make a small loaf of bread, bring him some, and then make some for herself and her son. The reason that God can call us to a deeper call and push us harder is because He knows what is inside of us. He knows we have what it takes. He wants us to let go of what we are clinging to (what is your bread?)
God is not asking us to look for providers but to trust in His provision.
Lesson #3 - I have gotten so used to the God that comforts that I forgot about how God UNLOCKS the greatness in all of us.
(v14) God said the jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until rain comes to the land.
When God asked me to start the Prom Closet I said "NO, THANK YOU” and just like the widow, I had many reasons why not. I believed in an ending to that story. To be honest, sometimes I don’t act on His call because of fear. But God says, "Do not be afraid" (v13)
We were afraid because that morning we went to Winston-Salem to serve and to help get a new Prom ministry started there. We served about 100 students and we needed to get back home that evening to rest and be ready for our first day of season 14.
At least that was the plan. We had lost the keys earlier that day to the lock that locked the trailer to the car. Several attempts were made to free the lock until finally the next day we were able to cut it off.
Just like the widow, God took Tammy and I to a familiar place with a few prom dresses and a vision to help young girls to find their perfect dress. But what God gave us is much bigger. He changed our lives.
I am not sure what you are holding on to. I am not sure what God is trying to UNLOCK for you. I do know He is asking us to trust him. It is not easy to walk in His plan.
God promised the widow that her jars will not be empty until He sends the next blessings. You are ready for your next blessing, your next task, or your next calling. You might not have what you need but you do have what it takes: God.
We cannot UNLOCK what God has for our life if we forget the God who UNLOCKS the greatness in all of us.
