In January of 2020 I looked for new ways to encourage people. God had blessed us over the years and Ciloa was reaching into 186 countries. Yet there were always more needing encouragement and to know they were not forgotten.

But I got nowhere. I prayed. I thought. I prayed some more. Still nothing. Then one day I got a suggestion. “Why not share the Notes on Facebook with churches, ministries, organizations, and groups you and Ciloa have liked or joined?”

The idea was from one outside of Ciloa with no idea what I was working on. Just a “random” comment. But I thought, That’s a bad idea. We have over 600 asking us to like or join them. Sharing would be one at a time. No way we can do that.

God works in some amazing ways.

But that idea would not go away. The more I prayed to find my plan, the more that idea came to mind, as if someone was pressing me to give it a chance. But I was resolute. We just can’t do that. Then an amazing thing happened.

I was working on a Note of Encouragement written by Shane Hale¹, a fun read as his tend to be. It began with his experiences as a professional baseball player, then launched into the doing and trusting part of our relationship with God.

As I followed the text, my eyes locked onto the final sentence. “If you ask of God to Show Me Something!, there is going to come a time when He will ask the same of you. That’s how it works.” I sat back in my chair and sighed. Crud.

His way is always the better plan.

On March 30 we shared Show Me Something! 47 times.² Today we share the Notes with 122…mega churches to small congregations, international ministries to local missions, public groups to private ones…reaching an additional 1,325,432 people!

This isn’t about numbers, but helping the lonely, sick and grieving…those who need food, shelter and clothing, or just someone to love and encourage them. This is also about God’s love, for He knew a virus was coming to cover the earth.

I’m not normally a stubborn person.³ Still, I was right. There was no way we could do this. But God could, and we’ve seen Him reach people around the world. Listen to God, trust Him, follow His plans…and watch Him do amazing things.

Ciloa Forever!

Chuck

 

 

Chuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa, an international ministry devoted to encouraging others and teaching them how to encourage one another. He is also an author and speaker. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. Learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at www.Ciloa.org.

 

Footnotes: (1) Shane Hale began writing about his experiences with God in 2014. He joined the Ciloa family in 2017 with his first Note, Why All The Umbrellas? Shane, his wife Michelle, and their three sons live in Mobile, Alabama, USA. (2) You can read Show Me Something! by Shane Hale at Show Me Something! (3) It is possible that certain people would not agree with this…family, friends, colleagues, former clients, people I just met yesterday, etc.

Pictures: Banner Shot: Warren Wong/Unsplash. (1) Proverbs 3:6, creator unknown.