Linda's Lightline

More Than Money
By Linda Woodard

Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

If I believed in my heart that it was God s will to let you go, I would be able to. But only -- if I believed it in my heart. If I didn't believe it in my heart? Well then, I could never let go......."

Blair is my oldest daughter who left for college 3 years ago and I still miss her every minute of every day. She is a senior now -- everyone who actually knows her can take a moment to feel old.....ok, back to the story.

Blair had lined up scholarships for college but just for your information, most scholarships are tuition only --- no room and board. Also for your information, room and board is even more expensive then tuition. Don't even get me started on book costs, also not covered. So she was literally weeks away from leaving and had her tuition covered but not her room and board. Time to panic?? Time for God!!!

Listen to this God weaving: Kyle, her younger brother, was playing regularly in a praise band at a church with some friends of his. Blair attended one youth event with him the previous year. One. Even so, when graduation came around and they have the seniors of the church stand up and tell the congregation where they are heading off to college and what they will be studying, the youth director called Blair and asked if she would stand up and do that. She felt very uncomfortable with it, seeing as she only attended one event. He literally insisted she do it. She agreed.

She stands up that morning in front of the church of total strangers and says "Hi I am Blair, I am Kyle s sister, I just graduated and I am heading to the University of Central Florida majoring in music and theatre." That was the whole speech. That is all it took.

After the service, a woman came over to Blair and introduced herself As soon as she heard Blair was going to be a music/theatre major in Orlando she had to talk to her. See, this woman knew the head of the choir over in a church in Winter Park ( a half hour from the college) where they give scholarships to 4 high school seniors a year to sing in their choir and help with their kid programs. She did not know if they had any openings for the coming year but she gave Blair the woman s name and phone number. Four openings: One soprano, one alto, one tenor and one bass.

Blair is a soprano. Guess which one was the only available position? Soprano. Guess how much the pay was? The amount of her room and board. How awesome is my God???????

Jesus knows your joy, Jesus knows your need

He will go the distance with you.... faithfully.."

God will supply all our needs, according to His riches in glory.

He supplied another need in that story - a need far greater than money. He supplied the blanket to wrap around a mother s heart who was bracing to have to say goodbye to a daughter she loved more than life itself.

See, it was at that moment, the moment this scholarship fell into place "miraculously" -- that I couldn't help but see God in the story. He was literally beaming in my face saying, "Linda, I ve got her. Trust me. I know you love her. I love her too." It was at that moment, knowing that He did have her, that I could let her go.

I ve told this part of the story in a past column: My belief was solidified when I went into her new church for the first time, found the empty chapel, knelt at the altar all alone, cried my eyes out, dried my tears, looked up, and noticed the stained glass window was of the hand of God reaching down.

If I believed in my heart that it was God s will to let you go, I would be able to. But only -- if I believed it in my heart. If I didn't believe it in my heart? Well then, I could never let go....."

I believed it in my heart, and I could let go.

I want you to remember, I want you to know.....

You.... will never walk alone, as long as you have faith,

Jesus will be right beside you all the way,

And you... may feel you re far from home, but home is where He is,

And He'll be there down every road...you will never walk alone."