"For the Least of These"

I know that this blog is pretty much always about my kids, but humor me this one time :) and let me write up some things that have been on my mind and going on in our lives lately. A few weeks ago, I started getting this nagging feeling that something in my life was missing, that I was doing the things I needed to do to get by, but that there was something more that I could do, and I just couldn't figure out what. Two weeks ago, while Brandon was gone playing basketball and the kids were in their beds, I picked up a book that my mom had gotten me a couple months ago and started to read it. The book is called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and it has completely changed the way I view my life. It was such a challenging book and it really made me think about how I was spending my time and how God wanted me to live this life that He's given to me.

I finished the book in about a week, and I think I underlined most of it, one piece that really stood out to me was the following - "In Matthew 25 we get a frightening picture of the coming judgement. In this passage, Christ condemns people to eternal punishment because they did not care for Him during their lives on earth. 'I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me'. The condemned protest, saying that they never saw Christ in any of these positions of need, and Jesus responds,' I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me'. Ouch. To me that is like a stinging, unexpected slap in the face. Like many of you, I've heard that passage taught on numerous occasions. I've left convicted, but haven't taken it literally. We see it as a fresh perspective on poverty rather than a literal picture of impending judgement. How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ-the person driving painfully slow in front of me, the checker at the grocery store who seems more interested in chatting than ringing up my items, the member of my own family with whom I can't seem to have a conversation and not get annoyed?"

Sorry, I know that was a long quote, but it really hit me...I'm so incredibly selfish and I'm teaching that same characteristic to my children. So once I finished reading the book, I spent quite a bit of time in prayer and asked for God to help me find opportunities to give, really really give. I spent one night last week looking up to see what places in San Antonio needed volunteers for service work and immediately begin to feel a tug on my heart to help the homeless. I've never been one of those people who refuses to give to homeless people because I think they'll waste my money, but I never really gave much more than a couple of dollars and then rolled my window back up and kept going. I wanted to be different this time and from now on...so last Friday, the kids and I headed to WalMart after reading an article from a friend that had some GREAT suggestions on what homeless people really need. We put together five gallon sized ziploc bags full of bottled water, socks, gum, jerkey, granola bars, toothbrush/toothpaste, chapstick, and a note with the address and hours of our church's Care Cottage which gives food and clothes to needy people. We threw them all in the car and just took off driving. It didn't take us long to find a man on the corner near our WalMart and Timothy was so happy to hand out a bag of stuff to "someone who doesn't have nothing".

We ended up handing out four of the five bags total. The difference to me, this time, was that I put myself out of my comfort zone and talked to these people, asked them their names, how their day had been, I told them I was going to pray for them and that I would hopefully see them again. One man, Willy, told me I had the biggest smile he had seen all day. Another man, Gary, teared up a little when I told him I would pray for him. Willy didn't have any legs and was in a wheelchair and Timothy was really interested in that, he kept asking me where Mr. Willy's legs and toes went, so I told him that the next time we saw him, he could ask. Hopefully we'll see Willy again and we can bring him some more food. Farther along in "Crazy Love", Mr. Chan writes that "Jesus is saying (in the passage from Matt. 25) that we show tangible love for God in how we care for the poor and those who are suffering. He expects us to treat the poor and the desperate as if they were Christ Himself."

I can't even tell you what a great start this has been for me and the kids. Timothy asks every day if we can "ride in the car and find people who don't have nothing". And God has blessed us already and quite abundantly! We got a notice in the mail over the weekend that said WA state was extending my unemployment pay another month! Tonight, I went to WalMart and gave all my spare quarters to the Salvation Army bell ringer at the door and when I got inside, I immediately noticed a man looking at me, I had to walk past him, so I smiled and he waved me over and told me that I looked like a walking angel, that he had never seen someone looking so radiant. Now, I know what I looked like when I walked into that store, in my sweats and with very little make up on, so my only conclusion is that that man saw Jesus shining through me.

Now, I've struggled with posting this for a while, because I didn't want anyone to think that I was bragging, or boasting...but I can't help but share what God has done for me in the past two weeks. More than anything, I feel joy - real, happy in my heart, joy. And if sharing my story can bless someone else and help them to feel that same joy that comes from serving God with your whole heart, than I'm happy I took the time to write this all out. Please pray for Willy and Gary, I don't know much about them, but I'm hoping to see them again. It's really getting cold at night here and I hope they have a safe, warm place to sleep at night. And pray for our family, that we can continue to boldly show the love of Christ to those who need it most.