The Great Giveaway....

Recently our church began what is called "The Great Giveaway."  The idea is to love others as Christ has loved us....a "pay it forward" theory.

We have cards that we can pass along with each "love" deed we accomplish...

The back of each card says, "You've just been loved" and at the bottom it reads, "Love each other, as I have loved you -Jesus"
 
I picked up five cards, as I would like to "love" five different people.  I didn't know who those people would be when I picked up the five cards, and I still don't know who I will "love."  But I only have four cards left...
 
Yesterday presented my first "Great Giveaway" opportunity.  Allow me to share...
 
I am a printing consultant for a local printing company.  I sell printing.  One of my clients out of Columbia is a marketing agency and they created and had printed a project for a client of theirs that lives here in Jefferson City.  When we finished printing the job it needed to be delivered quickly and our delivery driver was out, so I placed the box of printing in my car and grabbed the address to make the delivery myself. 
 
The business is a home based business.  As I entered the residential neighborhood I thought to myself, "my friend from high school lived in this neighborhood."  I glanced at the address on the paper beside me and began searching for the numbers on the houses.  I was coming up on my high school friend's home and when I saw the house numbers above the door I couldn't believe it!  I was delivering a project to my high school friends home where her mom and dad still live!  They own the home based business!
 
I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.  My friends mother answered the door.  She recognized me right away!  She invited me inside and we exchanged hugs and I explained to her that I work for the printing company that printed her project!  My friends father came into the room and immediately remembered me.  Soon I was looking at pictures of my high school friends new family and her home in another state.  Her parents shared with me her adventures in opening her own business and sorrows of an unexpected life change.  We visited for quite a while.  It was so good to catch up on my long lost friend from so many years ago. 
 
As her mother walked me to the door, she asked me about my family and I shared with her my father's illness, my sister's accident, my on going health issues and I finished by saying, "but life is great and God is good."  She looked at me, with tears in her eyes and said, "our family has endured so much over the past two years.  I sometimes wonder how we will continue..."  I replied, "you know, life has been tough for my family as well, but I also made a tremendous life change this past year...I accepted Jesus into my heart and I am in the process of developing a relationship with Him."  She was quiet, hanging her head low and she whispered, "I don't know if I believe in God.  I can't understand why these things happen if there is a God."  "Read your Bible...ask God yourself.  Find the answers in His Word," I answered.  "I don't even have a Bible," she admitted. 
 
I hugged my friends mother and said my goodbyes.  I thanked her for catching me up in my friends life and asked that she pass along a "hello."  I climbed into my car, buckled my seat belt and backed out of the driveway.  As I was pulling out of the neighborhood it suddenly occurred to me what I needed to do.  I drove to the local Christian book store and bought a Bible.  I wrapped it in tissue paper and placed it in a gift bag.  I took a "Great Giveaway" card from my own Bible and placed it in the bag with the newly bought Bible.  I drove back to the neighborhood I had just come from and I pulled into the driveway of my high school friends home.  I walked up to the front porch and placed the bag in front of the door and I turned around and walked back to my car. 

I had shown love to this woman, as Jesus has shown love to me.

I believe that God determines who walks into your life.  I also believe that God has a plan, I know he does.  God brings people to us when we need them the most.  They are people that can make a difference in our lives.  People that can encourage us, teach us, love us when we need to be loved.  I truly believe that...in fact, I've experienced it. 

Psalm 28:7

"The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy

and I will give thanks to him in song."

 
 Who have you loved recently?