$8 million

I've been thinking about how to tell my boss I'm leaving the company. Assuming I am leaving, of course. I certainly don't want to announce that I'm leaving before I know that I'm leaving. And you see there is my dilemma. I know it's going to leave a big gaping vacuum in my office when I go, and they're not going to be happy with me. That's why I don't want to announce too early.

As it turns out, today was the last day for one of my co-workers. He gave his two weeks notice yesterday, and he was politely invited to not wait. I've been praying that somebody will show up who can fill my roll. I'd really like to leave on good terms. At this point, I'd even be happy if I were laid off. I'd take it as clear direction from God. I find it ironic that it takes more faith to walk as I am now than it would if I suddenly found myself without a job.

That's what God does, though, isn't it? If you can handle a big leap of faith, that's what you're going to be asked to make. There are very few easy steps of faith. A church elder once described a building finance campaign. I forget the exact monetary target, but let's call it $10 million. In talking about the church leadership's approach to this campaign, he said that they prayed to receive either $2 million in pledges or $22 million -- that is, either too little to proceed or an overwhelming mandate to move forward. What they got was $8 million. It was almost as if God were saying, "Yes, take the first step, but you're going to have to trust me for the second."

God's been caring for His people in this way for all of recorded history. See Joshua 3:14-17. Notice that the waters did not stop flowing until "their feet touched the water's edge". Remember that this isn't just some stream, this is the Jordan river at flood stage. Here are these guys carrying this heavy gold box, and Joshua tells them to go stand in the river. To do something like that you must be either crazy or filled with great faith. Of course, they had reason to place their faith in God. This wasn't the first time He'd parted the waters for them, but He was calling them to place ever greater trust in Him.

We have reason to trust the Lord, too. Now I suppose it's back to waiting on His timing for announcing our departure, and, in the mean time, stepping forward faithfully under the assumption that we are, in fact, departing.