The College Search/Where Am I Looking?

This weekend our oldest son, a high school senior, will go for an overnight at a college that is recruiting him to play football. The same college is home to a prestigious music school and the type of physics research facility that interests him.

He doesn't want to play football. Still, we have asked him to please, please explore the option, in case there could be a financial benefit. We certainly can't afford the yearly tuition at this school and we don't want to see our son strapped with outrageous student loans.

The entire seach process feels stressful. There aren't enough hours in the day to properly research scholarships, fill out forms and applications, or visit schools across the state. Yet, I've come to realize, over the last few days, that I've been looking in the wrong direction for the answer to our "where will we find the resources?!" question.

I heard this on Ron Hutchcraft's daily radio message...

There are three ways you can look when you're facing an overwhelming situation. First, you can look out at the need. That's what the disciples did. It's a huge crowd; a huge need. Secondly, you can look down at your resources. In John 6 that's what the disciples did. Andrew said, "Here's a boy with five small (notice small) barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" "Hey, our resources are no match for this need!" Maybe that's how you feel right now. You just don't have the money, the wisdom, the strength, the help, the answers. Well, in both cases you're going to be paralyzed or panicky.

There's a third way to look though, and that's what Jesus did. It says, "And looking up to heaven He gave thanks for the loaves." Jesus chose to look in the Lord's direction, not out at the need, not down at the resources, but where the resources are unlimited. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19 , "God will supply all your need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." So Jesus thanked God for what He did have, though it was nowhere near enough. And not enough was miraculously multiplied into more than enough.

Do you know that's exactly what happens when somebody puts their life into Jesus' hands? Your life could be so much more than you ever imagined. Jesus said, "I've come that you may have life and have it to the full." And we do as much as we can do with our lives, until one day we say, "Jesus, You who died on the cross to pay for my sin, You who walked out of your grave under your own power, You who will be returning one day to wrap up human history, it's time I took this life that I have thwarted and put it in the hands of the one who was meant to be controlling it all."