Reaching out...

REACH - verb (These are my favorites!)

To stretch out or extend, to touch or grasp something, to succeed in getting in contact with or communicating with, having an effect on, range of understanding, to extend oneself

REACH - noun (wow!)

grasp, stretch, capacity, extension, power, influence (!), sway, distance

I remember the first time I fed the homeless. What an emotional encounter. This was a different kind of place. It was a food kitchen that actually looked like a restaurant. The tables and chairs were all set up waiting for their guests and we invited them in to take a seat...and served them. Something most of them probably didn't receive much right now in their lives. As I welcomed people that were in all kinds of situations come in to a soup kitchen and gently asked them if I could serve them, their tough outer appearance seemed to slowly show me a human, gentle softness that was desperately in need. Need of physical things such as shelter, food, a smile...but in such need of the spiritual things. Knowing that there is a God that loves them and has a plan for them that far exceeds any past, any addiction, any barrier.

The question that I have heard in my head millions of times and have heard from other voices is "what can I do that will make a difference?" I could so list my uneducation, untrained-ness, words come fumbling out of my mouth, inexperience, 'drrr-ness' (are any of these real words??) and say that I can not possibly make a difference. BUT, the Creator of the Universe tells me differently. I believe that He 'has' done and 'is' doing a work IN us...to do something THROUGH us. To be an extension of His love. To be a voice that speaks life and not death. Because we have experienced it.

Every experience you have had in life can either break you or be used to build you and others around you up. Look around you. I may have never been homeless, but I have close friends of mine that have. Through hearing their stories and their experiences planted compassion. My 'common ground' sometimes is being a mother and imagining if me and my family were walking in their shoes.

But, sometimes (a lot of times!) God uses things that we have personally gone through.

Have you ever gone through some "yuckiness" in your life? Something so earth shattering that you thought "this one is going to crush me." The amazing thing is that God can use those "yucky" spots in our life for good. No....for something great.

This is the scripture that I read this morning....

In 2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4 it says,

"He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

What things have you gone through in your life that God can use to bring hope to someone?

You see, you are so valuable. Your life story is valuable. It's time for you to rise up, reach out and share your story of hope to someone around you and watch something super natural unfold and blossom right before your very eyes....

Get your stretch on!!! There's freedom in it :)