Tag: Faithfulness

Not Unnoticed

Last night, I dropped off four sleeping mats for the homeless. Of those four, I may have made one.

Tomorrow I’m dropping off, if I was to guess, around 200 crocheted hats to a shelter in Flagstaff. I’ve made none of those.

I went to pick up another bag of odds and ends, containing blankets and scarves to take as well, and I confided in my friend I feel disheartened.

I look at all I’ve collected and what I’ve done, or haven’t, and it makes me wonder what the heck I’ve been doing all year.

She reminded me of the project I’ve been working on for the Deaf/Blind community but I told her I didn’t think I should have turned my back on one community to help another.

I just don’t feel like I’m making a difference. I don’t see anyone changing. My goal is not just to help others, but to get others to help too. If I was successful at doing that, I could have moved on to another community without leaving one behind.

She hugged me, then encouraged me not to believe the lie I wasn’t making a difference.

(sigh)

This morning, as I was playing over all the emotions I felt last night, I was reminded of Job. He didn’t get to see what was going on behind his faithfulness, either.

It didn’t mean that his actions went unnoticed.

I need to remember this.

My Morning Issue

I am seriously, overwhelmed, by the role God has placed me in.

It started with just a pin I found on Pinterest. A pin I discarded because I didn’t think I could really make any impact.

It was to make a sleeping mat for someone who is homeless. Five hundred to seven hundred grocery bags to make one. ONE!

Where would I come up with five to seven hundred bags? To make just one? Really?

Why would I do that?

Who would I really be helping? Sure, ONE person.

I kinda wish I knew the name of that one person, now.

Because I am learning with God’s economy, ONE can multiply into MANY!

Seriously with God, what’s up is down, what’s down is up. One soul is priceless while many good deeds are worthless.

So please don’t say what I do is great. There is only One who is great, and that One is not me. I am only obedient.

Jesus says to do two things, love God and love others. That is all that I am doing. Not only can anyone do that, but everyone should be doing that.

Doing what I am told does not make me great. It makes me faithful.

Faithfulness grows from obedience.

And that one mat has turned into a ministry that is so much bigger than myself. In its year of existence, not I, but my friends and I have made and donated 53 mats. That is more than one mat a week!

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How is that possible? I don’t know! Did I mention it takes five to seven hundred bags FOR ONE? Do you know how long it takes to make just one? It could take awhile, and I promise you, I have not been crocheting a mat a week… for a year!

From the mat ministry, our hat ministry formed.

We donated nearly 400 hats to a shelter in Flagstaff this Thanksgiving, with just a handful of friends and a box full of yarn.

In my garage now, I have enough yarn to make at least another 400, and I didn’t buy any of it!

This is crazy!

Yesterday, I got a call asking if the church we’re donating our mats to, could use the clothes, jackets, food and hygiene products her church has been collecting for a year.

WELL, YEAH!

And now, here I am trying to figure out how I’m gonna fit all our mats in the back of my Expedition with all their stuff?!?

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What a stinkin’ cool problem to have to deal with this morning!

My heart is full and my mind is blown.

What I have learned is loving on one person is enough to grow my faith. I don’t have to feel I need to help many people, just the one God puts in front of me.

The rest will come and my faith will grow.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart  and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31