As I was running around the house this morning trying to get things straightened up a bit, I caught Micah just staring out the window. He was interested in something, so I thought I'd take a look. I saw an orange extension cord and it was then I noticed the whirring of a small motor. What I saw next freaked me out...a tall man with a ball cap and bandana over his face picking up deer turds. I jumped back so he wouldn't see me, then I peeked out the window from behind the blinds to see first of all...what the heck he was doing...and also...who the heck is this? My first thought was, "Oh, man. Our neighbor finally got sick of all the poop in our yard and decided to come pick it up himself." And then it hit me...
Last night after our deer poop project we went to small group. We jokingly told them we knew of a service project that would really help out some fellow church goers and then we invited them over for game night....and an afternoon of picking up poop. It was totally a joke, but it didn't go unnoticed....
Our small group leader, who just happened to have the day off today, was outside in my backyard with his shop-vac on his back sucking up my deer poop. My first reaction was complete embarrassment. Oh, my gosh! I can do that! You don't need to help us! We'll be fine! I called Gregg to ask him if he knew anything about it and ask him what I should do. His response was pretty deep and profound...tell him thank you. Well, I can't just let him spend his day off like that.... Tell him thank you. Yes, I'll tell him thank you.
Holy cow...have you ever received such an unsolicited gift...a gift of service...that you were neither expecting and certainly didn't deserve? It is incredibly humbling. We have definitely been on the receiving end of service...meals when we had a baby, help from various people when Gregg is out of town, last year when Eric died our small group came over and cleaned our whole house. We were certainly humbled by these things...so grateful we can't even express...but there was a need there first...we were going through something and needed people to step up at those times (and they did and again we are ever so grateful). But this was so different...so unexpected and....different. It made me think of how our Heavenly Father gave me an incredible gift that I am completely and utterly undeserving of. I was (am, really) a sinner...I was completely lost and He gave me the gift of Christ so that when I stand before Him one day, I will be seen as blameless... He has given me an eternity with Him. Why? Because He loves me. There is no way I can ever repay Him...nothing I can do to make Him take back His gift...I can only love Him back and live my life in a way that says, "Thank you." Thank you for our church family who gives and serves so selflessly. Thank you for little reminders in our busy lives of what you've done for us. Thank you...I am completely humbled.
That is awesome. Jathan preached this past Sunday in Galatians about sharing each others burdens. And your friend did just that. God is so good to us to have given us a beautiful body of Christ to share joys and burdens with. I am sure it was a blessing to him too!
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