Weddings, school, and other things God likes to show off in my life

Wow!  So, it’s been waaaaay too long since I’ve written; bad blogger, bad!

I can’t really help it, or so my procrastinating side tries to tell me!  I’ve been on the far-side of hither and the underside of yon trying to help my friend of a dozen years put together the wedding of her dreams and get my summer school schedule together and paid for.

An amazing thing God did for me: He paid for half of my summer tuition!!  Isn’t it funny how we tend to plan our lives down to the minute, work and strain to the inth degree, throw in a prayer to “cover the bases” and then wonder why we end up imploding with our plans in tatters around our ears!  I planned to stay home, plan my friend’s wedding, find a summer job, work at church with VBS, and basically chill.  Then my grades came back; I needed to take summer classes to bump my GPA up to keep some scholarships.  All of a sudden, my overwhelming thought was: where in the world am I going to come up with 3Gs to pay for this? Where am I going to live? How am I going to eat? To top it all off, the bride was flipped out about their budget, the caterer was having problems communicating with her, the baker couldn’t get the cake to stay upright in the southern heat, the best man quit, and I was going through some emotional instability from a situation with another friend at home.  God!  What are You doing??

I was sitting at my kitchen table, the 2nd week of May. All of my bills spread out in front of me, my wedding notes and plans behind me on another counter, and my journal, Bible, and box of tissues on the floor.  I had run the numbers and they did not add up.  There was nothing I could do in the short amount of time before school started to scrape up a budget for living on my own for 2 1/2 months. 

I had to let go.  There was nothing left to do. I breathed a prayer of surrender to God, “if You want me to go to school, You will make a way; if You want me to stay, You will make a way.  Please, take over my plans, put me where You want me.”  And I dialed the university business office one more time to find out what I could do to pay for my summer classes. 

  Business office, how can I help you?

Yes Ma’am, I need to find out my down payment amount for June. – long pause.

  Before or after the scholarship?

Scholarship?

  Yes, that’s the state scholarship award that was just extended to summer, you qualified for half tuition.

(my mouth is open in a silent screech) Yes ma’am, when do you need the remaining balance? (star-struck and fumbling to get down numbers in my agenda)

Not until you start classes.

  (a month away and enough time to withdraw and form a working budget!) Ok ( trying to speak in a normal pitch) I’ll bring the check when I get there.  Thank you!!

I didn’t hear the phone click off on the other end, and I couldn’t see tiny amount I had scribbled on the pad in front of me; my head was buried in a mound of tissues, shoulders shaking with laughing sobs of joy, amazement, and gratitude. For half an hour, all I could get out was Tha.. and then I would cry and laugh until my eyes and cheeks hurt. When will I learn to submit my plans to God and trust Him to do what is best for me?  When will I learn that He CAN and will do exceedingly and abundantly above anything I could ever hope or dream?  

The rest is a beautiful blur of yellow sunshine, white dresses, and soft music.  The wedding fell into place, the bride was beyond happy, radiant with love and joy, and the cake was exquisite!  I’m sitting here writing from school, about to begin my first day of classes.  I have to say, I’m basking in the warmth of His love, amazed yet again!