A journey closer to God begins with a first step...
All I had going for me when I first started checking out Prodigal as a place to volunteer was a passion for helping kids and a lot of confusion on where to go, how to start, and the knowledge I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing!
I have no illusions that I am a perfect Christian. I just knew that kids and teens, living in poverty, don’t deserve to be abandoned to their fate. I just wanted to help in any little way I could.
My story is not unique. I have heard it many times over as I have invited volunteers to join us in building Gods kingdom. God has called us to have a heart for each other, and a heart for the poor. His will is that we love our neighbors, whether they are Christians are not.
“I just feel like I’m not sure where to start, but I want to do something,” is a passionate statement often echoed. Yet fears and frustrations often come up even before you check out the outreach you think you might want to be a part of at any church or organization.
All of us show up with some preconceived notions. We’re human, it’s in our nature. Then God steps in, bigger than our nature, and begins opening our eyes. We learn that we have so much to learn. That learning to love God better comes from learning to love His human beings better.
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| A light in the darkness showing the way. |
It’s about making the time, not just for the cause you are excited about, but because through this process God is revealing Himself. It’s so common to get caught up in the routine of our lives and forget we have something to share that could change another’s life.
"I didn’t even know you guys were down here or that this stuff was happening to these people.”
“I’m learning so much each time I come down here to help. I feel like the kids are teaching me so much more than I get to teach them!”
“I’ve felt like God was leading me to do something for awhile. Find something I could really sink my teeth into.”
How is God speaking to you in your life?
What excites your imagination or frustrates so much you want to change it? When was the last time you tried to “dip your foot in the pool” with giving something of yourself to honor God to someone in need?
Took a shift volunteering with your church’s child care, found a cause or ministry already connected with your church, or just checked out one of the ministries that you discovered online in your area? Have you ever thought of checking out a ministry that you’re already supporting financially?
God calls us to raise up disciples as part of our faith walk. Giving to missionaries and ministries is something we can do, but it shouldn’t be all that we do. How can we start to know Christ more intimately, to share our blessings and gifts with those less fortunate, if we don’t seek something that stretches us?
These are questions I have asked myself. Questions I ask of each of my missionary staff and volunteers. Where am I in my faith walk, have I become to comfortable? What am I learning new each day that encourages me to reach outside my comfort zone and see what God is up to in His kingdom?
