Abound

Abound

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

WE WALKED ALONGSIDE STREAMS of people as they passed through the hallways of the Saint Paul RiverCentre, traveled down escalators, and converged on a massive hall. It was Love Somalia’s meal packing event, and people from the Twin Cities and beyond had banded together to support the effort. In the cavernous warehouse-style space, food-packing areas were stationed at regular intervals. I marveled at the sheer volume of people and supplies present, the reminder of how God abounds in grace and good works. After a quick orientation, we washed our hands, stretched blue hair nets over our hair, and got to work measuring and dumping rice and other staples into bags.

Our small group of families chatted as we worked, pulling up boxes to use as steps to lift smaller kids to the height of the table, all working toward the goal of six million meals for Somalia, a country on the brink of famine. At the time, Somalia was experiencing intense drought. In the hardest-hit areas, the lack of water wiped out crops and livestock, and communities were forced to sell assets and borrow food and money to survive. Over 6.2 million people needed assistance.

The meal packing event was massive in scale. In some ways, the process felt akin to ant life, as we worked busily in the vast room. Steadily, we filled meal after meal, box after box. By the end of our shift, the people in the room had collectively packed 2,998 boxes that would provide 647,568 meals, feeding 1,774 kids for an entire year.

In the mundane moments of our everyday lives, we can forget about the boundless nature of God, but the immense scale of the meal-packing endeavor was a small reminder of how big he is. He abounds in love, mercy, grace, justice—but he also abounds in resources. We can’t outgive God. But as Christians, we can partner with him to share our own resources with those in need. The abundant life we are promised in John 10:10 isn’t one of hoarding; it’s one of extravagant generosity, our partnership with Jesus an echo of the extravagant grace we ourselves have received.

Lord, thank you that you abound in grace, mercy, and love. Help us to realize how vast your reach is and to find our own small ways to help your work in the world. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: What is a skill, quality, or resource that you abound in? Today, endeavor to share it with someone.