The money I didn't earn

I have been so blown away how God has worked so far to provide money for the adoption and to encourage me that he is a God that is alive and working.  There is a story in the Bible in which a rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus tells him that he must sell all he has and give to the poor and then he will have treasure in Heaven and to come follow him.

God is showing me more and more why He said that to the rich man.  I don't think God was trying to just test him or wanting him to become part of some type of socialist utopia where everything is equal.  I believe now that God wanted to bless him and he knew that in order to show his sufficiency and blessings that the man needed to fully depend on God.

I have begun to try to sell anything and everything I have.  Spare 2-3 pieces of sentimental jewelry that my family has given me and our work equipment, I am willing to sell it all.  This is probably because we don't really own anything of value.  I've been trying to sell old equipment, electronics, film cameras, clothes, bread makers, books.... I've tried Amazon, Craigslist, Poshmark, Online Yardsales.... and I've only sold three things.  Each of the things had the least possible value to me and cost the least and yet God has blessed me through them.  The three things:


1. A dress- I sold one dress.  The dress was a dress my mom gave me because it didn't fit her right and although I liked it I paid nothing for it.  A friend from middle school saw it online and instead of paying the $20 I asked for it she sent me $50.

2. A bathroom cabinet.  We had to buy a replacement part for our bathroom sink off of Craigslist last year and the guy we bought it from gave us a random bathroom cabinet for free.  It's been sitting around the house since.  I sold it on Craigslist for $15.  When I went to meet the stranger that wanted it she said her husband was inside {Wendy's} getting change.  While we waited I thanked her and told her we were using the money for our adoption.  When she brought back the money from her husband she gave us an extra $10 and told me that every time she used opened the cabinet she would pray for me.  I asked her to pray for Isaiah.  Forget the money- a complete stranger just committed to praying for my baby boy every time she reached for this cabinet!

3.  I sold a photography book about family portrait posing that was sitting in our closet.  I sold it for $20.  When I went to ship it I used one of the automated postage machines at the post office.  The post office was closing and I had all three kids with me and I remember being hurried.  Two weeks later when I was selling the dress I sold and going through the same process I had the sinking feeling that I had forgotten to write the address on the envelope for the book I had sent!  What an idiot I am!  Seriously, I sent a package with no address or return address. 

Mortified, I emailed the lady who bought and apologized profusely.  Not only was she amazingly kind and understanding but she told me to not refund her and keep the money... for the book she would never receive! I told her I only sold the book in the first place to raise money for the adoption.  She wrote back telling me she had family members that had adopted and that she would be praying for us.

So, after just these small encounters I get it a little more.  God wants us to be willing to sell everything we have to give to the poor not because He needs our money but so he can show us just how amazing He is.  Monetarily, God took the $35 I earned and turned it into $95.  More importantly I know that I am not alone, he brought strangers into my life that encouraged me and committed to praying for us.  God has shown me that He will provide financially but I am even more thankful for the blessing of seeing His character and love at work in others.  I am going to continue to pray that God would help me sell our things AND that I would remember to write the addresses on the packages from now on!