Imagine the possibilities.

I debated whether or not to share this story, leaning towards not sharing it. However, many people are struggling financially right now. My hope is that maybe this story will inspire you to take action. Even if you’re not a Christian, I hope you’ll consider what I’m about to tell you.

I’ve always wanted to help people. When I hear of a need, I immediately think, “What can I do to help? How can I make a difference?” When I can’t do something myself, I can usually think of a way to organize a group of people to accomplish something bigger. Unfortunately, that’s where it used to end. I haven’t felt like we had enough margin (or enough money), so I haven’t felt I could financially help most of the time. It has been so frustrating to be willing but unable.

I have these friends who are generous. No. They are extremely generous. As I’ve gotten closer to them over the past year and a half, watching them has really stirred my heart. I see how they’ve been able to help people, and I’ve wanted to do that, too.

Over the summer, our pastor talked about giving above and beyond our tithe. He wasn’t talking about giving above and beyond to our church. He was talking about looking for ways to be generous to others. This reminded me of a few years ago when he talked about being someone’s miracle. Anyway, something clicked, and I prayed, asking God to give us margin and show us ways to be generous, and be someone’s miracle. I didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity.

Shortly after that prayer, I received horribly sad news from a friend. Her sister’s baby had died during childbirth. I immediately felt that we needed to buy her plane ticket so she could fly home to be with her family for the funeral. I didn’t say anything about that to her. Instead, I said the typical, “Let me know if there’s any way I can help.”

A few days passed. It was a Saturday. We are a family of seven, and only had six dining room chairs. Also, my daughter’s bed had broken, so her mattress was sitting on her floor. I had been saving money and planned on furniture shopping that day, budgeting $1,500 for eight chairs and a bed. I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about finding something I liked at that price, but I was willing to try. I went shopping and, to my surprise, I found exactly what I wanted for $800 total! I couldn’t believe it!

That afternoon I bumped into my friend’s husband. Again, I immediately felt in my heart that we were supposed to buy my friend’s plane ticket. I asked him how things were going, and if the baby’s funeral had been planned. I told him that we could help with a plane ticket, if needed. He said he appreciated the offer, but that they were okay.

Later, I told Andy about the conversation with my friend’s husband. He was a bit annoyed with me, because he didn’t feel like we could afford to do something like that. I told him my offer had been refused, so to not worry about it.

That evening, I got an email from my friend. She said she felt weird asking, but if my offer was still good, she did need help purchasing a plane ticket. Because it was last minute, airfare was very expensive. She wouldn’t be able to attend the funeral without our help. The ticket was $700. Before I could even start praying about how much to give, I felt like God told me, “You budgeted $1,500 for the furniture, but you found what you wanted for only $800. Do you think the $700 difference was a coincidence?”

You should know that $700 is a lot of money to us. I’ve bought my friends dinner, yes. But $700? Seriously. That’s kind of crazy. That was way out of my comfort zone and didn’t seem rational, realistic, or responsible. Couldn’t we just give like $100? Or maybe $200? But I knew in my heart that God was prompting me to pay the full $700. Would Andy agree to it? He hadn’t been receptive earlier, but if this was really God, surely He had been working on Andy’s heart.

My  heart was racing as I went to talk to Andy. I said, “Andy, I just got an email from [my friend]. I know you didn’t really think we could afford to help, but they don’t have the money for her ticket right now, and -”

Before I could even finish, he said, “Do it. Pay for the ticket.”

I said, “But the ticket is $700!”

He said again, “Do it. Pay for the ticket.”

And so we did it. We gave them $700 the following day, and she was able to be with her family during an incredibly sad time.

I’m not telling you this to impress you, or to make you think highly of me. This isn’t about me at all. This story is to encourage each of you to be extremely generous with what you have been given. If we can do it, you can do it. I guarantee that if you ask God to show you ways to be generous, and you make yourself available to follow His nudging, He’ll provide the means. I have found that the more willing we are to give, the more God has provided for us to do just that. We are being used as His funnel. Consider Luke 6:38… If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.

What if we put others’ needs above our own wants?

What if we all looked for ways to be extremely generous?

What if we asked God for opportunities to be someone’s miracle?

Imagine the possibilities.