May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1: 2-3
What do we have that we can give away? As the reading states, God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Therefore, we will always have enough to give some away. However, it takes compassion on our part.
A high school boy walked into our Share Our Surplus warehouse last fall and asked what we were doing. When we explained that we distribute laundry detergent and fabric softener for those who come to food banks and agencies, his very first reaction was, “How can I help?” I shared with him the schedule and he loaded them into his phone calendar. Honestly, I never expected to see him again. Was I wrong!
This young man showed up several times and even brought his brother with him. Since most of us who volunteer in the warehouse have gray hair, we were grateful for their strong backs and delighted with their compassionate attitude toward others they did not know.
There is a strange thing about compassion. You can never use it up. The more you give away the more you will have. God will make sure that you will never run out of the opportunity to be compassionate. We all learned something from those two young men.
Dear Lord, continue to put people in our lives that show us and teach us that you work in the hearts of all your people. We are grateful to be reminded and inspired by the compassion youth have for others.
Rev. Ginny Goodwin is the coordinator of Lutheran Congregational Services’ Share Our Surplus warehouse ministry.
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