The Mistake of "More"

I’m a very competitive person.

I love being the best. That’s just honesty. And sometimes that can get me stuck in success. Always wanting to be more, do more, have more. But it seems like when I have that mindset, I just get stuck in feeling like the “more” is never enough. 

This is simply because God did not intend for us to hoard our “more” that He blesses us with. I heard something on a podcast the other day that said this:

“It’s not about having more than the people around you. It’s about being more generous with what you have and giving it to those around you.”

As many of you know, I came out with a devotional book in 2018 and gave 50% of the proceeds to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. And while my ultimate mission was to raise money for the kiddos and speak out the words God placed upon my heart, I got stuck in that “more.” I wanted more book sales. I wanted more views on the website. I wanted more money to feel like I was successful with what I did.

I ended up writing a check to the children’s hospital for $8,000 last year, which was half the proceeds of the book like I had promised. But I clung to that other half. I got so focused on wanting to build more and more of it that I felt my joy for what I was doing slip away a little. 

And then God spoke something to me this past November. As I stood in my kitchen about to head out the door, I heard him whisper:

I want you to give away $7,000 of your book money.

I thought, What! $7,000? Who am I supposed to give this money to??

I racked my brain trying to think of who I could give it to, and then His whisper hit me like a slap in the face:

I want you to give $7,000 for the remodel at church.

At that time, our pastor had declared that the church was aiming to remodel and expand offices. We were in the midst of a campaign to raise $90,000 within a couple of months. I brushed off that whisper from God for a little bit, not loving the idea that I was being told to let go of the money I was hoarding and wanting so much to make more of.

Weeks went by, and I asked one Sunday when I was speaking at church where we were at in the process of the campaign. I was told $55,000 on their $90,000 goal.

Oh jeez, I thought. My $7,000 won’t mean that much. They’ve still got a ways to go. 

And then I said something to God. I said:

Father, if it comes down to them needing exactly $7,000, then I’ll do it. I’ll hear you loud and clear.

That next Sunday Ty and I were sitting in church. I was in the midst of grabbing my notebook when our Pastor came out to give some announcements. Then he said just a few words that froze me in my seat:

We are at $83,000 on our $90,000 goal. Just $7,000 away.

Then I started freaking out. When we got home later I opened up my journal. 

Maybe that $7,000 was just something I made up. Maybe that wasn’t it. I thought to myself as I flipped through my journal.

But nope - dated November 25, I wrote these words to God: A thought came into my head about giving away $7,000 of my Bound Blessings money to the church - please guide this. 

I was terrified. I was about to put in my two weeks at work without a solid back-up plan, as I was so unhappy where I was, but I knew it was time to make the leap. So one day before I put my two weeks in at work, I called the pastor:

I’d like to give $7,000 to the church remodel, I told him.

And then I did it. A check was sent out that following Sunday. And all my prior hang-ups on getting “more” all seemed to fade away. I was no longer hoarding what I had and worried about how to get more.

Just the other day I was in the Word, and I came across this story in Luke 12. This is what I read:

The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: “What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.” Then he said, “Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!”

Just then God showed up and said, “Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods - who gets it?”

That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.

I can relate to the rich man a lot. When we are stuck in keeping everything to ourselves and growing it only to have more for ourselves, we forget why God blessed us with so much to begin with in the first place - it’s so that we can give it to those around us.

When we fixate on receiving more for ourselves, we miss out on how God wants to use what we have to give to those who need it most.

I didn’t plan on sharing this story, as God does not call us to proclaim all the good works we do. But this morning I heard Him whisper:

Now is the time.

So what more do you have that you’re hoarding for yourself? What more do you have that the people around you need? What more is causing you to fixate on yourself rather than on the needs of those around you? Is it encouragement? Is it wisdom? Is it faith? Is it time? Is it money? Is it a skill? It’s not about being the best with those things or having more - it’s about sharing those God-given gifts with those beside you who maybe don’t have as much. That’s why we’re all created differently. So that we can all give one another the “more” that we have.

In crazy times such as these, it’s important to evaluate what more we have to give and stretch out our hands to drop it into those who need it most.

Will you do it?