More Than Enough

More Than Enough
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 by Janet Holm McHenry

Categories: devotional / GUEST AUTHORS / TUESDAY'S TREASURE

PLEASE WELCOME

Janet Holm McHenry

Tuesday’s Treasure

“So let’s talk about plans for next year,” my principal said in our late May faculty meeting. “First, we’re going to have some personnel changes . . .”

I gulped and tried to fight the tears. Near the bottom of the school district seniority list for teachers, I’d gotten my layoff notice more than two months earlier. So as the principal continued discussing how he would shuffle around assignments, I quietly picked up my things and hurried out the classroom door. Seconds later in my classroom, I prayed, Lord, what will we do? You know I need this job!

While there were a lot of emotional ups and downs as the school year ended, the Lord gave me a promise to lean on to get me through that summer:

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6-8 NIV).

Somehow I sensed that God would use the layoff to provide an opportunity for me to be physically closer to our four kids—scattered in schools thirty miles apart across our mountain valley in the Sierra in northern California.

At summer’s end, I got a phone call. The principal of a school near our home asked if I could serve as a long-term sub, as two English teachers had just announced their retirement. Yes, I would! And that temp job led to a twenty-three-year position that I loved.

I learned a lot that season about how God provides.

God wants us to sow faithfully, even though we might not think we’ll experience the harvest. I could have just half-heartedly ridden out the school year. Because I felt hurt, there was a part of me that wanted to just clock in and clock out. But ultimately, I knew I was working for the Lord, and he deserved my best as I served him through my students. I also applied to neighboring school districts.

A loss from our viewpoint can simply be part of his plan to bring about something better. Had I been under contract with another school district, I could not have taken the better job right around the corner from where we live.

We can expect his abundance. My half-hour commute became a ninety-second one, and my kids were on the same campus. Eventually, I was the English teacher for all of our children at our high school for one or more years.

I believe in having a looking-up perspective because we can always know that God will be with us and see us through those inevitable hard seasons.

ABOUT JANET HOLM McHENRY

Janet McHenry is a national speaker and the author of twenty-seven books—eight on prayer, including the bestselling PrayerWalk and two that were released this year: Praying Personalities and Looking Up! Finding Joy as You Read and Pray Through the Bible. A member of the California leadership team for the National Day of Prayer, she has coordinated the prayer ministries of The Bridge Church in Reno for about twenty years. Known for her prayer-walking ministry, Janet has an online Teaching course called Prayer School and loves to help others foster a looking-up perspective through prayer and the study of God’s Word. People can contact her through Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest or her website: janetmchenry.com .

LOOKING FOR A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT?

ABOUT LOOKING UP! FINDING JOY AS YOU READ AND PRAY THROUGH THE BIBLE

Become more intentional with your time spent in God’s Word and dive deeper into your relationship with Him with overwhelming joy, boldness, and thanksgiving. Through 365 daily devotions that lead you from Genesis to Revelation, well-known author and speaker Janet Holm McHenry shares the truths she’s learned about God, His promises to those who love Him, and the joy you too can find in your salvation.

Having read through the entire Bible each year for more than 20 years, Janet’s wise insights invite you to step confidently in your faith as you dedicate a part of each day to studying the Word. Each devotion includes a focus verse, Scripture-based prayer, and an optional read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan to help you jumpstart your time with the Lord.