The Thoughts of a Young Preacher

Have you ever had one of those moments? Those moments that can only be described as Holy. I had one of those moments this past Friday. One Thursday I got a phone call from a woman that called our church first requesting money. I am unable to give away money as I don’t have access to the church treasury and I will always keep it that way. I am thankful for the elders and my congregation and their wisdom in the way that they use the funds given to the church. When people call asking for help I either offer them use of what we have in our food pantry which we usually keep well stocked or I ask them to come to one of our worship services where they can meet with our elders to discuss their needs. On Thursday a woman called asking for money and I explained why I could not immediately help with her need. She wanted some money to go on a trip to see a dying relative and at least in some ways it was a strange request. I told her that I would call her back after I talked with my elders for her. I did and later that afternoon I called her back. I told her that we might be willing to help but that we would like to come to her house and visit her. She agreed but then she admitted that really she just needed some things and was not really going to be going on a trip. Surprised by her honesty I asked her what she really needed. She replied, “It has been really cold lately and I do have heat in my room. It would be so nice to get a few more blankets and perhaps some socks.” (It had been cold. Really cold for Louisiana. It had been 26 to 28 degrees for the past three nights and while that may not seem that cold most people in Louisiana do not have the best cold climate protection as most of the time it is just not that cold here.) I was stunned and I told her that we would be over to see her in a couple of hours.

We got there and the house was no bigger then most of our living rooms and four people lived there. They had one very small gas heater that would not do too much good for the whole house. I went inside and that is when I had this moment. As we are talking to this woman about how we can help her a young boy enters the room and after about five minutes. I would guess that he is probably 16 or 17. After a few more minutes as we are talking with the woman the boy begins to cry and I can’t help but ask what is wrong. Things are just so tough right now. I want to help everyone and get us what we need but I just can’t do it he says. The hardest thing is seeing her suffer he says. As this point I am fighting to hold back my tears. I let him talk a little more and then with a huge smile I am able to look him straight in the eyes and say Don’t worry, we are going to help you today. It felt soo good to be able to say that because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that at that very moment that my elder and I were doing the will of God. I don’t claim to always know that but this was a special moment, and yes a Holy moment for me. Not because I was there or because I want to pat myself on the back but because I had the awesome privilege to give something to someone in the name of Jesus. That is one of the huge blessings of being a minister. Being able to focus on doing God’s work on this Earth. I don’t mean to say that only ministers do God’s work. I know of many people that do God’s work in many ways. These people are the hands, the feet, the mouths of Jesus on this Earth. I just needed to have that moment where I could feel the holiness of doing exactly what God wanted me to be doing. I will never forget that day and that moment as long as I live.

Words are just so small to try to describe how much it really means to be in the position to help others in the name of Jesus Christ. So what does all of this mean for you? I guess I f anything I just want to encourage all of you to know that the little things do matter. That we serve a God that is interested in the little things that we do. He is interested in helping people that no one else wants to help. I love God for so many reasons but one of my favorite things is how he loves us all equally. I want more then anything else in my life to show that love to others. To help them see, even just for a moment, how much God really loves them.

I would love to hear about your “moments” with the Lord.