How Much Does It Cost Me?

I learned a VALUABLE lesson today in church and at the grocery store. I am a greeter, a job that I absolutely LOVE. And today, I have seen God busy at work, but also teaching me a lesson in service, love, and how it works from the heart. I am also in a hurry, because today is a family day-our Sabbath-and I want to spend it relaxing, puttering, and enjoying my family. So, in 43 minutes, I will be at my parent's house on Main Street watching the Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle ride where hundreds of motorcyclists drive through our town on decorated motorcycles. It is one of those simple things I truly enjoy. It tickles my heart!

I had to be up early today. I was tired from a function that kept me busy yesterday and on my feet. As soon as I stepped out of bed this morning, I realized how much my feet hurt. They are sore. They literally feel bruised. I think it's time to toss the high heals! But, despite it all, I got up, tip-toed around the house, gave my two sick kiddos meds, and headed out (a little late) to church to greet. And to me, it's not just welcoming people into the House of God. Greeting is that, but it's also about BEING there to meet the needs of people as they enter and leave. I try not to cry, but from where I love God-that place so deep inside, there are no words or ways to describe it. So tears just have to do sometimes.

After church when there were only a few people remaining, my daughter who likes to assist with her developing gifts of service (YEAH GOD!!!) and I were standing at a few sign up tables and talking with people as they were exiting the building. A woman with two little girls, 19 months and 10 months old I believe, said she loved our church.

HERE IS WHERE I CRY....
She had never been to our church before and she liked ours. She felt welcome. She related well to the message. And she wanted to come back. She was thanking us??? I chatted with her, introduced myself and daughter, and I got to make small talk with the smallest of the visitors-her two very young toddler daughters.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED--
After she left, a woman who knows her stayed a bit afterward to let me know she needs a Christmas Dinner box that our Project One:eight teams are doing. She went and got this woman's name and number and gave it to me.

Not only did this woman attend church today, but God also saw to it that she will have a Christmas Dinner for her family.

Dude...BAWL like a baby, I am. Yet, I cannot put it into words. It's just what we are supposed to do...minister anytime anywhere, be available, and meet needs when they are RIGHT in front of us.

BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE!
On the way home, I needed lunch meat and bread, so the kids and I could have lunch. And truthfully, my budget for this month is bust. It's slow and I thought I'd grab one loaf of bread and one package of bologna...the stuff you eat when you have a buck. But, hey-it's all good!

I called my Dad to find out if they would be home to watch the motorcycles, so we could join them at their house. He and my mom were shopping at K-Mart for some stuff and he asked me to see how much the bread at the grocery store was. The soup kitchen needed 10 loaves. I called him back and he said it was cheaper at the store than the outlet. To save him time, I told him I'd just buy the 10 loaves for the soup kitchen since I was already there, saving him the trip later. I decided I could just deliver it for him, since he and my mom were busy and I wasn't. So my daughter and I grabbed 10 loaves in the bread aisle and continued our shopping.

GOD PROVIDES:
As soon as we turned the corner in the store, I kid you not, there was a cart of clearanced bread... 39 CENTS per loaf for wheat and 69 cents for white. This was even cheaper!!! There were nine loaves, so we snatched all of them to take to the soup kitchen. We nearly fell over! As soon as the need was realized, and we took action to meet the need, the provision was right there!!!!

MEETING A NEED:
There was a woman who came by looking for one of the clearanced loaves to take home. When we heard her ask for one, I told my daughter to run one of those cheap loaves over to her. We'd buy one of the full priced loaves in lieu of that one. My daughter came back and said the woman was so happy.

I called my dad and told him that God had provided and had to tell him the exciting ways in which He was working. And after my daughter and I came home from delivering the bread to the soup kitchen, I had to share the thoughts that were racing through my mind and heart.

1. God provides-and FAITH and BELIEF are important in BELIEVING that HE does and He will!
2. Service, Meeting Needs, and Love-they ALL cost us something. You cannot love and be loved without love costing YOU something, You cannot be blessed (even with the provision of cheap bread) unless you make the sacrifice and take time to do something- buy it, deliver it, offer to assist someone, etc.
3. Always share with those around you-family, friends, and people gawking in the aisles about what God has done!!! Oh, it was AMAZING!!!
4. Don't be afraid to give and give generously! (THIS was a lesson to me.) I didn't have it-I still don't. But, it was there, I got it, and I have FAITH that God will provide for my family just the same.
5. GIVE your time. Time is always worth the COST! I got up with sore feet and sick kiddos to make sure I was able to greet this morning. Not because I serve the people who come in and out per say, but because I am there to be what Jesus needs me to be to people. I do it for Him. And it just requires that I show up to see how He will use me.

If you do not give more than you have, it doesn't COST you anything. Giving what you have excess of is not cost. Cost means you have less to give but give more. Otherwise, it is only giving excess. People don't need excess. They need you. They need to be loved by you.

If the cost is love, do you really think love will cost you more than you can afford to give?

Talk about cost with Jesus. And then answer that question.

This was a valuable and teachable day.

17 minutes until the motorcycles blast down Main Street...