All For You: Giving

"So God, this is what happens when we live a life poured out, when we give ourselves away? It doesn't always feel good because it almost feels like loss toward the end, but the beginning of it is full of joy." I refer to my own life and a dedication I made to God to give myself away...my life...my resources...all that I am. Many of us sing that song and don't get the full idea of what it means. To every young person I come in contact with my heart immediately loves them. My mind immediately tries to think of ways to help them and the Spirit inside of me feels the hurt or the emptiness they feel. They may be unaware, but the weight of what they are dealing with rests on me because I asked God a long time ago to give me that burden and all that comes with it...that is a daring thing to ask of God because he will give you what you can bear...but I dare you. If you are reading this...I dare you to try God, but be sincere in what you ask because ministry is nothing to glory in...it is a place to get dirty not pretty. I'm bringing these things about myself out to bring God glory and to help someone else identify what is going on in you when you meet someone that is lost, hungry for God, hurting or needing to know they are loved. I want my experience to help someone else. How am I feeling at this moment you may ask? Honestly cut deep and burdened. I had the pleasure of having a young person in my life along with her family and they are having to move. They are the second family in a matter of two months, both of which I was beginning to form a close tight bond with their kids. I don't know how a mother feels when she loses a child or when her child is being ripped out her arms, but I think I had a glimpse of it. There is nothing like knowing God used you to make an impact in a young person's life by those arms that youtgh wraps around you so tight and by the burying of their face in your chest...the memories of how apprehensive they were when they first met you flashes through your mind and you say to yourself and to God that it has all been worth it. It may be hard to understand why we have to experience loss by giving, but we must look at it as a gain in many more ways. When we give ourselves away that is literal...every person that comes in contact with us should leave with some type of contribuation you have added to their lives. Giving is sacrifice especially when you really might be losing.