Each year, I have goals: spiritual goals, physical goals, and financial goals. This past weekend, I was thinking about my financial goals for 2024 and what it would take to reach those goals before the year ends. As with most people unexpected things arise through the year that we are not prepared for or expecting and often put stumbling blocks in the way of our goals. All this was on my mind when God reminded me of a day I had with my granddaughter, Brailee. She was seven years old at the time – she is now thirteen.
I have shared many things about my grandkids in the past and how God speaks to me through them – this day was one of those. Brailee is very different from her older brother, Bryson, who is now 18! I can hardly believe it. He is a gentle, quiet young man with a sweet loving spirit. He can and will talk to anyone. Brailee is strong but often quiet. She doesn’t have a lot of deep things to say; therefore, when God speaks to me through her, I listen.
At seven years old, she still had that sweet little girl voice that I miss hearing. She never talked harshly or hard, so when I heard the words that began to come out of her mouth, I was stunned—not only by the words but also by the force of authority behind them.
It was a Saturday morning. Brailee and I decided to run to Lowe’s and get some flowers to plant. She wanted daisies. We got ready and off we went. Her excitement was evident by her constant jabbering as we headed to Lowe’s. She was talking ninety miles a minute about daisies. I just drove and smiled. I couldn’t get a word in at all.
Suddenly, her tone changed, and she asked me a pointed question out of nowhere: “Nana, do you want to have more money?” I laughed out loud. She did not like my response. “Nana, I AM ASKING YOU – ANSWER ME. Do you want to have more money?” Brailee demanded.
I felt the atmosphere change and I knew God was speaking to me. I answered this little child and said, “Yes, I do.”
With a forceful voice, not her own, she began to give me instructions. She said, “Well, then you have to get seeds and lots of seeds. Do you hear me? You have to plant seeds everywhere and keep planting them; do you hear me?” I responded, “Yes, I hear you.” While she was speaking, her little hands were moving rapidly as she showed me how to plant seeds. Again, she questioned me. “Nana, do you want to have more money?” I again answered, “Yes, I do.” She continued, “NANA, do you want so much money that you have enough to take a bath in?” To this, I laughed out loud. She, however, did not find it funny.
She said, “NANA, I am serious, DO YOU? YOU MUST ANSWER ME, DO YOU?” I said, “Yes, Brailee.” She again said, “Then you must listen to me and do what I say. Get seeds, lots of seeds, seven dollars’ worth, do you hear me? Seven dollars’ worth and plant them everywhere and keep on planting them. You must plant them. Plant lots and lots of seeds, do you understand?”
She continued talking to me in a firm voice. She said, “Nana, you are going to have seven dollars come to you; SEVEN DOLLARS, and you have to plant lots and lots of seeds, okay?” I said, “Okay, Brailee, I will do it.”
As quickly as it began, her voice softened, and she started talking about daisies again.
While she moved on, I could not stop thinking about what she had said. I began asking God to explain what He wanted me to do with seven dollars. I thought about how she said the seven dollars would come to me and how she instructed me to sow seeds and keep sowing seeds.
Later, I shared with Breanne what Brailee had said. Breanne asked Brailee about it, to which she shrugged and said, “I told her what she had to do if she wanted more money.”
A few days went by. One morning, I walked to my mailbox. I had an envelope from a friend. I opened it up and laughed out loud as I counted seven dollars. She had sent me seven dollars!
That very night, I was checking my email. I had a receipt from PayPal. Someone had sent me a personal offering, amounting to $7. The attached note said, “Do with this whatever you want, buy seeds if you want.” I could have fallen out of my chair when I read that.
All this confirmed that God was speaking to me through my little Brailee. By the mouth of two or three witnesses, it is established. (2 Cor. 13:1) He reminded me of this today – not by accident but to give me a reminder of how His increase works.
God wants us to prosper, just as He wants us to be whole in our bodies. It is part of our covenant with God through Jesus. I intend to lay hold of all God has for me—ALL HE HAS FOR ME. That includes prosperity. I sought Him for answers to meet my financial goals, and He reminded me of this instance with my seven-year-old granddaughter.
Remembering this time, I believe the seven dollars wasn’t necessarily about an amount of money as much as it was about continuing to sow my seed until I reached a place of completion—a tipping point. (Seven means completion.) I believe God is saying, “Continue to sow seed until it is complete.”
As God reminded me today, if I want to harvest or reach my goal for the year, I must continue sowing seeds until I reach my tipping point. What did I do? I prayed and sowed where He led me, and I thanked Him for reminding me of this precious day. If we want to harvest, we must first sow. It’s God’s way of increasing, and it has not changed.
