A teaching in a class at church recently reminded me of something that happened several months ago.  Though I’ve shared this with some friends, I decided I want to share it here to encourage our volunteers… or anybody I guess.

So, I had a mom email New Hope from another state far away.  I honestly wondered at first how she had even found us.  It would be exploitative to discuss any details of her letters; it’s enough to say that she was concerned for two kids.

That night I had a dream that I was part of a team searching for gold, and I was assigned a place to dig that was mine alone.  Honestly though, it was a place I would never have expected to find gold.  In fact, I was feeling it wasn’t very worthwhile to dig there at all.  But, as I dug, I uncovered two kid’s sneakers.  I shook one and it rattled, so I turned it over and began to shake gold out of it!  Not just a little gold, but a large pile mixed with precious stones!  The more I shook it, the more gold continued to pour out!

When I woke up, I knew these sneakers represented these two young girls.  God was sharing His perspective through a simple dream.  That day, I wrote a reply to encourage the mom to call the gold out of these kids.  Call out their gifts; call out their purpose; call out precious things, God’s most extravagant treasure that He placed in them from the foundation of the world, since long before they were ever even born.

It’s humbling when God allows you to take part in something like that, to touch people far away that you don’t even know.  As I prayed about it, I was struck by the realization that countless people (who were better equipped to help than me) were probably right in the town or state where these girls live.  It seemed obvious why God would reach out to these kids, but why had He involved me?  Why give me the opportunity to send His words of love to these girls far away with so many people available that He could have used instead?

The answer I felt in my heart that morning has changed the way I view my relationship with Him and with others too.  It was crazy simple.  Couldn’t He have asked some famous person, a seasoned minister, someone with more experience?  His reply was, “yeah, I could’ve asked them.  But I wanted to do this with YOU!”  For reasons that are only His, He loves to be with me.

What I’ve come to realize is that these opportunities that God provides, are not His “work” for me to do, it’s not my sacrifice to make, my dues to pay, or whatever.  Rather, these opportunities are God’s very love note to me… and to you.  He’s saying, “Let’s do this together.  We’ll hang out, we’ll have some laughs, we’ll change some people’s lives, and it will be beautiful and holy… together.  What do you say?”

God is placing before us the most tender and loving offer, to partner with Him, to speak His words, to wield His power, to touch His kids.  The world will be changed by the amazingness of His love, and if we will come along on the journey, we will be changed as well.  What will we say?  Are we ready to be loved that much?