To the little girl that told me the story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus, then wavering and sinking as his faith waned, only to be rescued by Jesus.  Thank you.  You were a blessing to my warm heart and tired legs.

I don’t know why God compelled me to walk up to as many as possible of the hundreds of cars waiting to receive food being passed out by my church.  Our church.  God’s Church.  I don’t know why he had me thank them for coming.  I don’t know why so many were so kind and loving toward me.  I don’t know why.  Isn’t that what faith looks like?  I don’t know why but do anyway.

To the beautiful brown eyed little boy who stared cautiously as me from the back seat of that car struggling to run, God loves you.  I saw the eyes of my beautiful family in your eyes.  I saw the future.  I pray that you saw and felt the love of our Father in Heaven.  I felt God saying, I have chosen him (you, my brown eyed friend) for marvelous things.  You matter.

To the moms whose shoulders sagged a little in relief as they realized that I was not there to do anything except affirm their value, you matter.  Thank you for allowing a broken man to tell you that you are loved by a miraculous Savior.  Thank you for listening to my words and for being so amazingly kind and encouraging to me.  You are God’s front line warriors and your standing in the gap, protecting and raising your beautiful children is seen and admired.

To the many men who were hesitant to talk with me and at times, reluctant to look me in the face, thank you for shaking my hand.  Thank you for being willing to provide for your family and for waiting in that long line.  Many of you commented that ‘I am tired.  I know you were and are.  God sees you and desires to hear from you.  He loves you eternally.  He knows you are tired.  He is stretching you.  Please stay in the fight.  Stay present in your family.  Lead regardless of your situation.  The situation will improve as you fight through this season.  Your wife needs and deserves you.  Your children need you.  Your family admires you.  God in Heaven smiles as he watches you be his chosen man.

To the family that had to turn their car around and have me help them leave the line for food because they were running out of gas, you are loved.  God is marvelous, isn’t he?  As I handed you those two $20 bills, my heart was so filled.  I will never lose the image of your tears running down your beautiful cheeks as I gave you this treasure.  Isn’t God incredible.  I never carry cash on me.  Well, almost never. Yesterday, in that moment, God provided us both.  Please come back.  We have your food waiting.

How do you properly value the gift of those hundreds of faces staring back in love, fear, hope, reluctance and gratitude?  How?

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’  “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”  Matthew 25:44-45 (NIV)

Thank you, Father for the great things you have done and the great things you are doing.  To my little Bible teaching friend, I pray you slept well with a filled tummy.  This old man slept filled in ways too marvelous to comprehend.  That’s how God works.  Isn’t it?