“It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of my chest.”

An excerpt from a personal ONE story we received from a single mom at one of Grace’s campuses.
The One initiative has been playing out in my life over the course of the past several weeks. Money is a source of constant stress for me. On September 25th, I dropped a prayer request in the basket, asking for prayer to help me overcome my preoccupation with financial security, something that I have long-recognized is a lack of trust, yet struggle with anyway. Then on the evening of September 27th, before the One initiative was announced, I suddenly felt compelled to log onto discovergrace.com and make a contribution, albeit a small one. I can’t say how it formed in my mind; I was just sitting there on my couch watching TV when the thought came to me. I knew that it must have come from God.
The next day, I attended the Vision and Worship Night. To be honest, the content of that night’s message felt like an ice bath. I had ignored the first couple of emails for that night because I don’t feel like an “insider” at Grace. I serve, but not as much as others do. I can’t write big checks, and have been on the receiving end of financial help from Grace on several occasions. I recognize that these are my hang-ups to work through, stemming from my inability to accept and hold onto God’s grace at all times. The great thing about attending Sunday services consistently is that the previous week’s accumulation of lies are once again bathed in truth, replaced with God’s promises, and my burden gets a little lighter. I grow a little more.
A little over a week after the Vision and Worship night, I plucked up the courage to talk through my feelings about the One initiative with my community group. I began to pray about what, if any, role I could take.
Over the next couple of weeks, a monetary figure started to form in my mind. I looked at my budget again and again, canceled a couple of services that were not “needs,” and then wrote my number down on the practice card I received with my sermon guide. Something changed. The defensive feelings I had felt before were gone, replaced with a different feeling. While attending the Spirit-filled evening at Advance Commitment Night, my number changed again, and even a third time after I had written it down. I dropped my card in the bucket quickly, worried that I would waver from what I was feeling called to do. But when I went to schedule the automatic payment today, the number changed a fourth time.
I still can’t adequately put into words what a big deal it is to me, to give away this small amount of money. I am so grateful that the church prayed for my desire to overcome my preoccupation with financial security, in essence, my lack of trust in God’s provisions. I am grateful to be growing in this area in my faith. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of my chest.
I share this with you to let you know how sure I am that the One initiative is God-led, and that Grace church is changing my life in profound ways.
Ready to be a part of what God is doing through ONE? Make your two-year commitment to grow in generosity at discovergrace.com/onecommitment