“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2Corinthians 9:8(NKJV)
Elise was distraught and came to me with tears in her eyes. She’s a very beautiful woman, and this fact isn’t lost on her. She’s received the benefits from her attractiveness all her life and has never dealt with many of the issues other women have faced. There have been functions that a group of us will attend, and men behave as if the rest of us are utterly invisible. Even to the point of rudeness, she is singled out for compliments (some inappropriate) and attention. Although naïve at times, the thing with Elise is that she’s also a very sensitive and caring person. She takes in stride the good and bad that come with being amazingly stunning. Because of her caring nature and beauty, one would think finding her soulmate would be easy, but it hasn’t been. She’s had her heart broken more times than we can count, and she keeps going back for more.
She makes the same mistakes in her choices repeatedly, always falling for the man that is often as beautiful as she but takes from her way more than he gives. She lets them into her heart very easily and from there allows them access to just about everything she owns; nothing seems to be off limits. This time, with Tyrell, we all thought her heartbreak days were over. Where he lacks in the ‘drop dead gorgeous’ vein of her other ex-beaus, he more than makes up for it in intellect and decency. His Christian temperament and devotion pulled from her a depth of commitment that shocked us all. We were surprised when he delivered an ultimatum that was for him a final straw.
Like everything in life, beauty has boundaries. Elise’s mother had not raised her to comprehend this. So, based on what she witnessed growing up, Elise hardly ever rejected the attention and gifts from older men. These men were familiar, ‘her friends’ she called them. They wanted nothing more than to dote on her beauty and be in her company on occasion. One of them happened to be very rich and had supplemented her 9-to-5 income for years. It’s how she financed extravagant vacations and her luxury SUV. None of her other boyfriends who knew about it had complained, but once Tyrell discovered it, he demanded she cut off all sugar daddies for good.
Relationship is very important to our Heavenly Father. It is the very reason He created us. He is a loving Father, and He wanted children made in His very image. The relationship He shares with Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit is a union in which three are indeed One. They are so unified by love that there is no separation in the Godhead. So, although we cannot fully comprehend our Creator, we know from what He has both told and shown us that relationship means everything to Him. Therefore, He knows how important relationships are to us. However, our relationship with God can never be less than the number one priority in our lives. He will forever and always deserve the number one spot.
God tells us in 2Corinthians 3:5 that He is our sufficiency; that we should never think of anything as being sourced by human hands or intelligence. Everything comes from Him. He’s the Source! 2Corinthians 9:8(NKJV) says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” It is crucial in the life of a believer to understand that when God places His stamp on something, this stamp also carries with it other things that supernaturally cause us to abound to every good work. He gives us the grace to produce something and expand it to the point it wouldn’t or couldn’t otherwise. If we look to any other source for this producing and expanding capability, we are dabbling in idolatry. This will always cause a loss.
It is good for us to know that whenever we develop a dependency on anything, the potential for addictive behavior is not only present, it is likely. This dependency is fed by many forms; substances, people, relationships, behaviors, and gifts. As her friends, there was no question in our minds that Elise’s relationship with Tyrell had been the best she had ever experienced. He wanted more and she was very close to the marriage and family she had dreamed about, but she had lived a life captivated by nice things. They were gifts she depended on, and she had not realized they were sucking away her destiny. They had taken from her exponentially more than the pleasure she had received from them.
The rich man that Jesus Christ schooled in Matthew 19 thought the comfort of wealth could be maintained within the cost of discipleship, he was wrong. And just like the rich man, Elise had to decide between temporary sacrifice and long-term spiritual gain. Would she forfeit her sugar daddy relationships and the gifts for a lifestyle of financial discipline and Godly obedience? Jesus told the rich man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, then he would have treasure in heaven. The rich man had to break the addictive behavior of idolatry in order to give God the space He deserved in his heart. Instead of rejoicing over what he might gain in heavenly treasure—instead of being glad that he finally learned about the very behavior that kept him bound in spiritual starvation, the rich man left the company of Jesus Christ distraught that he’d have to give up his idols. Elise came to me in tears for the very same reason. This time, I hope she makes the right choice. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“My Sugar Daddy Wrecked My Chances” written for Crazynlove.com ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!