One of the many blessings that God has given me is to serve the people of our community each month at Ruby's Pantry. People from all over Central Wisconsin to come to Waupaca to get some groceries for their families.
My volunteer job is to pre-register all of our visitors - most of them are mothers trying to provide for their families. My job might sound like a frightfully boring thing to most people but it has been a blessing and a privilege to be able to look into the eyes of ALL comers and to be able to ask them questions about important things. Life, family, God.
Some people are pretty good at hiding their emotions and some are actually fine and smiling, but the eyes of a mother who has a struggling or hungry child are the most wide open "windows of the soul" I have ever seen.
This past Saturday I was able to talk with a mom who, just one year ago, was seeking prayers for her struggling children. We prayed together for her family on a very cold day last February. This year the mom came up to me in the parking lot and told me about her children. All were doing fine. One had even received a promotion at her job.
"Wasn't it just a year ago we were praying for these children who are now so doing well? God is good!" I asked. Answered prayer.
Another mom was there picking up food for her daughter-in-law who was working and couldn't attend. Another was there because she had just been laid of from her job. But the most powerful conversation I had in the parking lot was with a mom who couldn't find formula for her young son.
I have seen lots of pictures on Facebook of people hoarding supplies when this virus hit - toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, - but I have not seen any pictures of people hoarding baby food. Yet, shelves in grocery stores are more lean than normal these days. Innocent children, suffering, has got to be my number one hot-button issue.
We had no baby formula that day. We never do actually. But what we DID have plenty of was caring people volunteering their time, and an abundance of prayer. All people in need of prayer were prayed for, whether they knew it or not.
God provides for His children. It not always what they want but it's usually exactly what they NEED. These are trying times to be sure. If you are trying to get through this virus thing on your own I wish you well. Wouldn't it be better to walk with someone who has promised to never leave you or forsake you?
God lifts us up on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)! He restores our soul Psalm 23:3)! He gives us peace (John 14:27)! His Word is a lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105), a very present help in danger (Psalm 46:1).
Doesn't that sound like something we all NEED right now? If you don't have a relationship with God, if you have never met Jesus on your own personal road to Damascus, this is a great time to do so. SO, what are you waiting for? Talk to Him! It's easy, yet it may be the hardest thing you've ever done.
Tell Him you're sorry for ignoring Him, apologize for your sin and seek His forgiveness. He will do both of those things for you but you MUST ask. And then follow Him. Learn from Him. He is a wonderful teacher, and He loves you.
Make your faith and salvation the best thing to come out of this virus situation we are in. Then, you can look back on this time of strife in our world, and smile.
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." - Romans 10:9-10
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