GROWING SEEDS - "Faith, Hope, Love"

"Three things will last forever - FAITH, HOPE and LOVE - and the greatest of these is LOVE."
1 Corinthians 13:13


I read an interesting story this week about a husband and wife who, after going through bankruptcy and the loss of a job, put an offer on a house they not only wanted, but needed.  The only problem was, they didn't have the $10,000 needed for a down payment.  But to them, this wasn't a problem.  They knew God had the money for that down payment and they proceeded down the long road of loan applications and credit checks.  They thanked God for the $10,000 that was currently hidden from them, but they knew would be revealed at some point according to His will.  Wow.....such FAITH!  Two weeks before closing, the husband's father's estate released $10,000 to him and to each of his siblings; totally unaware of this prayer of FAITH and HOPE he had prayed.

I tell you this because this week has been a grueling week for the Etheridge family.  A week of neurologists, dermatologists, cataract surgeons and the dreaded oral surgeon.  Dreaded because I knew this was going to be expensive.  Cha-Ching expensive.....like "You-Could-Buy-A-House" expensive.  No insurance for this problem....a BIG problem.  But the story above popped up in my email box an hour before we met with the oral surgeon.  I was struck by the sheer faith of this couple, realizing that God could just have easily said "NO" to them.....but they proceeded on with FAITH and HOPE and LOVE for God.  Ohhhhh how I wish I had their faith!  I immediately went down on my knees and prayed that same prayer......"Thank You God, for the help and direction that is now hidden to us, but will be revealed according to YOUR will."

Fast forward an hour.....As the oral surgeon quoted his fee and I felt the anxiety kicking me in the gut and tears stinging my eyes just daring to spill out, I was reminded and comforted by the FAITH words I had read just an hour earlier.  Before I had time to fully inhale all that he had just told us, he said the most amazing thing; he was giving us a $10,000 discount because we were friends with his colleague.....at least that's what he thought.  Truth is, it was a discount from God.  The very amount from the FAITH story I had read earlier.....the story that reminded me to get on my knees when my legs wouldn't support me anymore.  A story about FAITH....that provided HOPE.....because we are LOVED.