Have you ever felt like you were being ripped apart at the seams? Everyone and everything pulling on your time, attention and money?
I was having a week like this recently. While doing the dishes *again*, and talking to God, I asked him what I needed to do to feel sane again. How was I missing it? Was I doing something I shouldn’t be doing? You know, He didn’t address the things I was doing (i.e. He did not give me permission to stop doing the dishes that moment, or ever.).
He did address the thing I wasn’t doing.
This year I began a Bible reading plan. I downloaded a nifty, and free ‘app’ for my phone that 
comes with awesome check-boxes that I can click to mark when I’ve read that section. It’s ah-mazing. The two best things ever (check lists and Bible reading) combined into one amazing experience! Except that I sometimes forget that the point is to read and meditate the scriptures, for the purpose of knowing God more.
Anyway, back to my feeling-ripped-apart-meltdown. God gently reminded me that I had been missing our morning time together. I was reading my Bible, but in a checked-out sort of way, and not making any effort to actually connect with Him. I was just getting through the ‘check-list.’
I knew He was right, but my initial reaction was, “Great, one more thing to do.”
Do you want to know what He told me?
Daughter, when I ask you to spend time with me, do not look at it as just one more thing pulling you apart at the seams. Spending time with Me will put all of those pieces back together, so you can keep going.
I love the story of the fish and the bread in the book of Luke:
[12] Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to [Jesus] and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” [13] He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish–unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”
What do you “only” have? It is just the thing God can use!
[14] (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” [15] The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. [16] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. [17] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfulls of broken pieces that were left over. Luke 9:12-17
Jesus wants what is in your hands, right this moment. If you will surrender what is in your hand to Him it will be multiplied by Him creating enough for you, enough to share, and even left overs!
It will seem, at first, as if God is only breaking apart what we have given Him. When Jesus breaks apart something get ready, that’s when real multiplication happens!
This principle works for our finances, time, and talents. When we give our first and best to God – He can take it and multiply it. When he asks for the fraction, the 10% of your increase financially, or the first part of your day, it is not to break or destroy, it is the way He brings multiplication and increase.
Giving to God never decreases us, but always enlarges and expands us!
God takes the fractions of our lives that we offer to Him, multiplies them and makes everything whole. In the process there is increase, and expansion that blesses and feeds many more than we could if we tried to do the same thing, on our own, with that fraction.
