My pastor says, “Not everything that God blesses you with is for you.” In other words, God gives us blessings that we are meant to give away. That goes for not only our money and material things, but also those intangibles, like gifts and talents.
At Wichita Falls Faith Mission, our team of men and women are in the giving business. Each one has been blessed with a huge heart filled with compassion; and gifts and talents to go along with their hearts to serve. It’s a fact that most of them could make more money and have a lot less headaches working somewhere else. But when you ask them about their day, they will light up with stories about the ones they were able to help.
When I think of our team, I think of the story of when God chose David to be the King of Israel. David wasn’t the oldest or tallest. In fact, he wasn’t even considered by his father, out of all his sons, as a candidate. But when the prophet Samuel asked if there were any more sons, Jesse said, Yes, still the youngest one. He’s tending the sheep. To which Samuel replied, “Send someone to get him. We won’t continue until he gets here.”
You probably know the rest of the story. David was anointed King of Israel even though he was the most unlikely man for the job. Unlikely in man’s eyes anyway. In that same story, Samuel said to Jesse, “God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
What David brought to the table that day was a willing heart to serve God, with all he had. That’s what God saw in him.
He sees the same in our team at Faith Mission and Faith Refuge. Men and women who have been set apart to do the impossible; namely love total strangers and walk with them through the journey of reclaiming their lives. They willingly give away their time, talents, gifts and many times their hearts because they know that God would want them to.
It is an honor to work alongside them and I am doubly honored to serve the homeless men, women and children God sends to us.
I hope you will pray for these men and women who serve on the front lines every day. And I hope you will pray for our homeless neighbors, many of whom are trying hard to get back on their feet. And lastly, I hope you will join me in praying for those who have given up. We all see them on the streets, under the bridges, in the parks. My prayer is that they will come to themselves and seek the help they need. I can’t think of a better place to send them than Faith Mission and Faith Refuge.
