Hebrews 10:24-25
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 (MSG)
Southwood has a mobile food distribution in the parking lot on the third Tuesday of each month. The Food Bank brings a truck load (or two) of food and Southwood volunteers help by loading the food into vehicles. We have served as few as 375 households and as many as 550 in less than two hours. It is really an amazing process. A double line of cars snakes around the parking lot so that we don’t block 40th street. Each vehicle is greeted and given paperwork to complete then 10 – 12 volunteers work together to get food into trunks quickly to keep the line moving. The Food Bank staff plan the amount of food they bring so well that we rarely run out of anything. There is always something to give each vehicle.
Something we didn’t plan for was someone walking up to the distribution without a vehicle. We especially didn’t plan for someone to be walking to Southwood from the bus stop to get food at just the time the distribution was supposed to end. When that did happen, our volunteers jumped into action without hesitation. A visibly pregnant woman walking from the bus stop on 40th street with children was given a ride and a box of food. Imagine how she must have been so relieved by the help and the food.
It didn’t surprise me at all that our volunteers would not hesitate to help someone, but their initial reaction may not be what you expect. They were grateful. Grateful that they noticed the woman when they did. If they hadn’t seen her, she might have missed out and spent all that time on the bus and walked all that way for nothing. They were grateful that she accepted help and that the Food Bank had food to give. They didn’t expect a thank you or a pat on the back for what they’d done. They were grateful.
It is a wonderful thing to help hungry people have something to eat and the distribution volunteers have fun doing it. What God does through that is much bigger. Serving in any hunger ministry opens your eyes to things in our community. It shows you that poverty doesn’t always look like you think it should. Because of their experience, people who serve at the distribution were able to see more than just a woman walking with children. They saw her and recognized that she was not someone on a casual walk. They did more than notice that she was out of place, they jumped into action.
God doesn’t just work through us. He works in us. And it is a continuous cycle. We know God works through us so we have confidence to act. That action works in us to encourage us to do more. Again and again.
Questions for Reflection:
- How has God worked through you?
- How has God worked in you?
Prayer:
Gracious God, open my eyes to how you could work through me today. Open my heart to see how you are working in me. Amen
Login To Leave Comment