What Would You Do?

I heard a very intriguing story the other day that made me question - What Would I Do?  Here's the story (I don't know all of the details, so forgive me if I take "Hollywood liberties" to make the story fit my purposes):

The Mesa campus of a multi-campus church (you can guess which one) had been meeting for quite some time in what I would call a "permanent portable" space.  The space was small, but had been modified to fit the growing number of people attending each weekend.  One recent Thursday afternoon, a new fire marshall came to inspect the space.  No big deal, right?  Well, the new fire marshall wasn't as accommodating as previous officials and informed the staff that they were only approved for occupancy of up to 49 people.  And, in fact, if even 1 more person occupied that space on Sunday, there would be arrests.

Well, of course there were definitely more than 49 people expected in about 2 days!

I'm going to pause right here to set the stage:  As a multi-campus site, there are screens, projectors and satellite equipment to consider, stages, intelligent lighting, band and sound equipment, and that doesn't even account for the children's space.  It's Mesa in August, so temperatures are well above 100 degrees, and things like the kid's "moon bounce" literally melt outside.  There are only 2 days to figure this out, only 1 actual business day.

Now - What Would YOU do?

How many of us would realize that there's not much that can be done for this weekend, cancel church for just this Sunday and focus on getting a space available for the following weekend?  Who could blame us for this decision...really? There's only 1 business day to come up with a solution, and after all, it would be a huge stretch to even get something in place for the next week!  I would be willing to bet that the majority of people would take this approach.

How the staff reacted to this adversity is what sets them apart from the majority.  They kicked it into high gear, rented tents and cooling equipment and moved it outside.  That Sunday, when the officials arrived, there were no laws violated and people were praising God showing that nothing will stop those who really desire to worship Him!

So - What Would You do?  When things get tough, are you willing to do what it takes to persevere?  Who or what is your "fire marshall?" Maybe it's a family member. Maybe it's coworkers who seem to want to quash your dreams.  Maybe it's your financial situation.  Call on the strength given to us by our God and show your "fire marshall" that you mean business!