My Greatest Offering

"With every breath I breathe, 

With every song I sing, 

I want to shout it out,

"Lord, I am listening!"

To every word you speak

I'll go where you will lead

to love the least of these

is my greatest offering."

This is the post that I spent months writing because I never felt it was finished.

As I mentioned in this post, God has been pressing on my heart 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." He has proven Himself time and time again in this past summer.

Let's back up a bit. I didn't grow up as that 12-year-old who babysat all the neighborhood kids. In fact, until I started doing childcare for our church's Zumba class in May, I had never really worked with kids and had considered it as one of the things that I simply wasn't good at and would never do.

But His ways are certainly higher than mine.

I spent 11 days in New Mexico singing and leading Bible study for Elementary age kids. I've suddenly had several babysitting opportunities that before now would have made me back away urging the parents that they didn't want me watching their children. A few weeks ago I worked with 5th graders at my home church's Vacation Bible School, and I spent the week of June 23rd in Monroe, GA, working at a sports camp.

My summer has been full of children and sweat.
And it's absolutely wonderful.

These children are so dear to my heart. I've said before, I fell in love with every child I met. I've always been notorious for my terrible memory, especially when it comes to names, and yet I remember these. I remember Anessa, and Hillary, and Noah, and Will, and Sierra, and Summer. I could tell you their personality and what they look like. If that isn't a God-thing I don't know what is! 

More than that, though, God has reminded me over and over that I must trust Him. He's given me every reason to, and yet so often I go into superhero mode and try to do it on my own. So, He gave me the proof I asked for. The night before each of these trips was terrible. I'd cry myself to sleep feeling so hopeless and unprepared. The terrible things in my heart were drawn to the surface. He showed me my inadequacies to show me His glory. To show me that He is my strength. He is everything I am not. Where my failures and sin fell so short, His grace abounded and overflowed and covered me. 

"Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more. Where grace is found is where You are."  -"Lord I Need You" by Passion 

He showed me that He is Sovereign. He reminded me that He is still "working in our waiting". There is so much I don't know. So much I can't see. But He has a plan for me, and even now He is preparing me for what He has for me. 

So, in the meantime, I will serve. I will be kind. This is my greatest offering. I don't know specifically where He will put me once I graduate, but He has shown me over the past months that my calling will be to love. "A life laid down is a life to love." That's the best thing I could do, right? To spread the Good News through showing love? Whether that be overseas missions or in my hometown, people need to know that they are loved with an unconditional, perfect love. I can use my imperfect, weak love to point them to the One who loved them "while they were still sinners".  

Lord, I am listening. To love the least of these is my greatest offering.