We Are All Homeless in the Real Meaning of the Word.

Today I had the divine opportunity to worship God with the homeless.  It was one of the most calming experiences I've ever had.  My precious community group {through church} and other members of our church volunteered for the afternoon at the Manna House, a soup kitchen of sorts here in town.  On Saturdays, in addition to serving lunch, they also offer an outdoor church service where members of various churches in town come in, lead worship and preach God's word.  What a beautiful vision of heaven this was.  People of different ages, races, socioeconomic backgrounds all came together to worship the same God.  I watched as people came out of nowhere, it seems, once the worship music started playing.  They came to sing to the God that created them.

I found myself closing my eyes often and taking in the smells around me, feeling the sun on my face, not caring for once if I got sunburnt {I fry like a piece of bacon, you know.  That's what happens when you're pale}.  The smell of fresh air, food and cigarette smoke mixed together and created a calm settling in my heart.  It made me think of Richard, the precious boy with the beautiful heart that I loved, that used to smoke a little more than I wanted him to.  Looking back I wish I would not have tried to fight that battle with him, realizing now that it was so unimportant.   Never in my life would I have thought that the smell of smoke would be comforting to me; but today it was.  I am sure the fresh air and the Lord's name on my lips as I sang helped as well.  Hearing that our sufferings as Christians are not misplaced and they are not meant to go unnoticed; that they happen for a reason.  Our God does not make these sufferings happen, but He's ready for us when they do happen.  He's ready to comfort us, pull us through, wrap us up tightly in His arms...but we have to remember to let Him do these things.

Today was yet another glorious reminder that this is not our home, we are all homeless in the real meaning of the word, we are all looking toward home, toward the place we were meant to be for the rest of our lives.  Today was a comfort as I felt the presence of God all around me and the sweet memories of Rich floating in and out of my mind.  Today was a day I will remember and am grateful that I got to experience.

Today was a great day.