"You've got to give..."

"...to live,
An empty hand reaching out for someone,
An empty heart takes so little to fill..." - Sammy Hagar, "Give to Live"


Sitting here still smelling of chicken broth, even after scrubbing up last night & this morning. But I don't mind, a small inconvenience for an amazing opportunity. I enjoy helping people, meeting needs, trying new experiences. I noticed a few of the men from my Saturday morning group had signed up to help out with the monthly food distribution our church hosts/pays for each month so I thought I would try it out. Wasn't sure what to expect, I always get cold feet beforehand - I guess a preservation/defense mechanism that is deeply ingrained in me.

I prayed on the way to church, asking God to make me a blessing that night. Pulling into the parking lot I could see the line of people standing outside, at least 60 or so with another group already inside the church. Walking into church I signed in, grabbed a nametag, & met up with a couple of guys I knew. I stood off to the side, gathering whatever strength I could to keep me there & not just leave. I felt out of place but then I realized it wasn't about me, it was about reaching out to the group of 100+ that had come for help.

Just then the food truck pulled up, I walked outside & was met with a huge side-hug from my friend Attica. Whatever selfish feelings I had melted away after that and we got to work at setting up the tables, starting the food counts, & bagging/setting out the food. I met up with one of the teens that had volunteered & we had fun setting out the food, joking around, having a good time. After a short prayer, the line began. I had the duty of handing out either graham cracker crumbs or 2lb bags of chicken broth powder, as well as dried cubes of cilantro.

For almost an hour I did the job, offering suggestions on uses for the cilantro cubes, helping my teen friend explain his item (a nut-flavored fortified cornstarch drink mix, used like hot cocoa), smiling & laughing, trying to lift the moods of those that had come. And I think I succeeded. By the end of the night I was tired & hungry (I left work and went right to church), smelling of chicken broth but felt good. Sure it was a couple of hours away from my family & a long day at that, but it was time well spent.

I look forward to doing it again.

A study was done in recent years that found we as humans are hard-wired to give whether we're hunter/gatherers in New Guinea or regular Joes in Paducah, KY. It's in our nature to give and that's not surprising, seeing as in whose image we were all created...

"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." Rom 12:6-8, NLT

We all have something to give...


MattyV
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com