And Counting

I woke up this morning and walked out the door about 6:30. The wind hit me as soon as I walked out. This is what I have been waiting for. I love sweatshirt weather. It’s perfect. I turn around and head back in to grab some sleeves and a cup of coffee. It’s going to be a great day. 

I walk in at House of the Harvest and one of our breakfast guys pulls me aside. “There were about twenty cars outside this morning when we got here,” he says. They arrive at 5:00 AM every Saturday to start cooking breakfast. And the reality sets in. It’s under forty degrees outside and twenty families in our community sit outside waiting to get in line...to be fed. That’s hard for me to fathom, especially fresh off my family’s trip to Disney World. 

I’m grateful for the opportunity to run House of the Harvest. I’m grateful there is a God that continues to provide so that we can do what He calls us to do. It will be four years at the end of October since we opened the door for the first time. That’s over 200 Saturdays. We’ve only missed once...because of an ice storm. Over 200 Saturdays, 205 to be exact, that 4,000 square foot building that we paid one dollar for has been full of food for our community. Two hundred and five Saturdays that place has fed 150, 200, sometimes over 250 families in our community. 

And all that credit goes to God. The One who started it. And the One who sustains it. And thankfully, He does, because there were twenty cars out there at 5:00 AM this morning. So when I wake up in the morning and worry about my Cardinals getting even in the series with the Nationals, there are people right down the road from me worrying about what they are going to eat and how they are going to stay warm. Maybe I wouldn’t enjoy sweatshirt weather as much if I didn’t have a sweatshirt. 

I’m grateful for House of the Harvest. People need it. And I’m glad we can be there. But, mostly, I’m grateful because it allows people to experience God...in ways that they need. And I think that is what God would want them to know. When they need Him, He is there. And will continue to be. Every week. Two hundred and five times and counting. He will keep being there, keep providing, and keep making sure that door opens. Because He loves us all that much. 

Maybe this morning you woke up in need of food, a jacket, or a blanket. I know a place where you can get one. But more than likely, you woke up with all those things. And more than likely, you still woke up with some kind of need. I don’t know what your battling, but I do know that there is a God who can fill the house to meet every need. I have watched Him do it every Saturday for four years now. 

And just the same as He does it for those twenty cars that sat in that old firehouse parking lot this morning, He will do it for you...because He loves you that much. And He is waiting to show you. Through a can of corn, or a friend, maybe a song, a perfectly time message, or even a scripture. I don’t know what you need. But He does. And He is faithful to provide it. Trust me...I know. 

My prayer this morning is that you would experience Him, however you need to. Because He is waiting for you to realize that He loves you. Times 205 and counting.