Remembering

"Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress."
1 Timothy 4:14-15

It is so easy to forget things. Days go by, life gets crazy and full and while I'm loving my life, I forget the most important things. I forget the promises God has made to me, I forget the direction He has given me and I forget the gifts He has told He has given me. It's not that I mean to forget them, they just get drowned out. Maybe forgetting is not quite right...these words that Jesus has spoken to me are pushed to the back of my mind. I'm learning more and more that these are the very things that should be my motivation and encouragement every single day. Yesterday, I was just walking in the Publix parking lot and Jesus reminded me of the above verses. He told me not to forget what He has told me. Talk about a humbling word from Jesus...I somehow made it through the rest of my work day but my mind kept coming back to His words. I realized that I needed to truly examine how I am living my life and commit to focusing more on His words He has spoken to me. Nothing is more precious than hearing the voice of God-what an awesome, amazing gift to be able to hear the God of the universe speak to me. I remember a time when just hearing His voice would bring me to my knees. I want to get back to that awe...I want to spend time remembering all that He has told me. I want to be able to walk in those promises; to practice those things and truly immerse myself in all He has said. I don't want to neglect the gifts He has given me.

Getting close

I decided to actually do something with my life so I started to volunteer at Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministries in their food pantry. I stumbled on their website and fell head over heels in love! This place is actually being the hands and feet of Jesus in a very tangible way-everything from a free health clinic to a food pantry to free job training, all in the name of Jesus! It's my two loves in life combined (Jesus and social work) and I couldn't be happier! I spend every Tuesday morning there and as much as I love it, every day that I go in my heart is broken for the people I see. My heart hurts when I see how they are hurting. The kids get to me the most; they steal my heart. They are always so excited to be getting food...I try to give them some fun stuff, like cupcakes and chocolate, in addition to all the healthy food :)
Yesterday was an especially tough day. A 19 year old mother came in with her 2 year old little girl; almost the same age as Ashley and Isabella. It felt like my heart was torn out of my chest and I felt so inadequate. As I took her groceries to her car, I had no idea how I was going to make it through this encounter without totally losing it. She began to pour out her story, how she got into this situation and how grateful she was that we were there. She has been on my heart ever since and I've been praying for her like crazy. I don't think I'll ever forget her or her precious baby girl. I think meeting her was God's way of confirming that I am there because He called me there. I've been there less than a month and already my heart has been broken in the best way...I can't wait to see what else God has in store!