OPTION C

Have you ever thought to yourself: “I’m between the devil and the deep blue sea?”

Well, who told you the devil and the sea were your only options?

Someone I know had an experience, so I’ll share with her permission.

God had been teaching her to walk by faith, and one area He became particular about was her finances. One time, she didn’t have much money with her. That would have been manageable – except that, at that period, an important community project came up, and everyone was supposed to pay a certain amount of money.

She didn’t have up to a tenth of what was needed, but wasn’t bothered initially because she believed she would be able to meet the deadline. However, the deadline drew nearer, and no money or job was coming in. She began to get worried. She couldn’t afford to let people know she didn’t have the money and ‘lose face’ in the community.

As the date approached, she knew she had two options: (A) Ask someone else for the money, i.e. borrow it, or (B) Let the community know she couldn’t afford to pay yet – which meant someone would pay for her and she would pay later.

Option A seemed like the better option, and she had a huge network of people she could easily and instantly get the funds from – but she knew God didn’t want her borrowing.

If jobs didn’t come in before the due date, the only other option would be B – but it would be embarrassing to her. So, she kept believing, but still nothing happened.

All through the night before the deadline, she couldn’t sleep. Early in the morning of the due date, she became desperate. She told God, “I have to borrow from so-and-so, even though I don’t want to. Option B would be too embarrassing. What do I do?!”

Very clearly, she heard the Lord tell her, “Pack your bags and go visit XYZ.”

Now, XYZ was a close relative she had put off visiting because she’d wanted to gather enough funds to buy them a ‘substantial’ gift. It was a weird solution that would never have occurred to her – more especially considering the fact that, at that moment, she only had transport fare to visit the relative.

However, it was a better option than B, so she got up immediately, packed her bags and left.

At the relative’s house, events happened that revealed why God wanted her there at that time. In addition to that, a deluge of huge jobs came in – so that when someone finally called, telling her the project had been executed and someone had paid because she wasn’t around, she was able to send her share without ‘losing face’. She was also able to buy the substantial gift for her guest.

It was a great lesson for me.

You see, many of us limit our options by the questions we ask:
“Do I stay here in City A or move to City B?’
“I’m not ‘feeling’ either, but do I marry Sister A or Sister B?”
“Do I manage this ‘Christian’ relationship that’s killing me, or do I date that nice-but-unsaved guy?”
“Do I go into the family business like my siblings – or look for a job with my degree like my peers?”
“Full-time ministry – or full-time job?”

Sometimes, God’s answer to an “A or B” question is “None.”

I have learned that God has a million ways of meeting one need, and these kinds of questions can severely limit our minds – and even His hands. It’s best to lay all the seemingly “only-available” options before Him and ask, “Lord, is it one of these, or none of these? What is Your option?”

He might say, “None.” Or He might choose one…or even tweak A or B – like He did for the Children of Israel.

As far as the Israelites were aware, they had only two options: (A) Go back to Egypt or (B) Go into the Red Sea and die.
However God had another option which was a tweak of Option B: (C) Walk through the Red Sea.

Trust me, it would NEVER have occurred to them.

Therefore, when you need help or answers, remove the ceiling and step out of the box in your mind.

God is limitless. We are the ones who limit ourselves.

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