the cold shower

Friday night I went to wash my face before bedtime and realized there wasn't much hot water, which seemed really usual since nobody was home all day. Rick and I went into the garage and realized the water heater pilot light had gone out. This was our first time as homeowners ever dealing with something like this, so at 10pm we sat there in front of the water heater, reading all of the big stickers lining the big metal tank, googling stuff on our iPads, and tried to relight the pilot light. We tried until 11pm and couldn't get it to work, so we crawled into bed. Rick dozed off right away since he had nothing planned for Saturday morning.

I on the other hand, stayed up for a few, wondering how bad a cold shower would be in the morning. For, I had plans I needed to get ready for. SUPER early in the morning.

I was to go with my women's bible study group to serve breakfast at a Good Samaritan Center, to people who don't have homes, who come by there on the weekends for breakfast, and get this...

a SHOWER.

God didn't waste this experience on me, that's for sure.

As I crouched in my kids' bathtub at 5:30am, bent over to get my hair wet under the tub faucet, I stood there bawling for how amazing our God is. And how He provides in ways I can't even fathom. And how I am so blessed to be so comfortable, and sometimes I just don't appreciate it. Or notice it.

And how I woke up that morning feeling proud of myself for signing up to go serve people in need, but really it was me who needed humbling at the feet of the Lord. It was my heart He wanted to work on, not theirs. It was my attitude that needed adjusting. It was me who needed to say thanks, not them just because I brought muffins.

Serving turned out to be amazing in every regard...meeting such sweet people and getting to know the women in my bible study even better. Watching some women excel in the social aspect of it all and really mingling with everyone, and others stepping up to make the best plate of food for anyone who came up to the counter.

Did I mention it was raining that day? Like literally pouring? I don't think I did, but it's really important. It's hard enough not to have a place to live. But the elements that day were brutal, and my heart broke for each person who came in through the doors.

My favorite was a 50-ish year old couple who rode in on their bikes towards the end of the morning. They both handed us their jackets to throw in the dryer, because they were so soaked you could wring them out and create puddles on the floor.  But when they took off their jackets, their bright and shiny, homemade cross necklaces shown so bright we all noticed. The husband had made them for him and his wife, and they both wore them so proudly. This man and this woman love Jesus so much, love each other so much, that they were both just beaming with joy. They had so little yet they HAVE.SO.MUCH. I will never forget that couple. They left an imprint on my heart.

 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

~ Philippians 2:1-4