This past week, Lee and I were very blessed to have been able to volunteer as part of this year’s home rehab project through Relevant Church. The overall effort was seven days of sweat-producing, muscle pain inducing, rain soaking work. Lee and I were able to pitch in four days last week, and it started with Day 1: the demo day.
Immediately following the second service at church on April 27, a team of volunteers headed over to the project site. Before we left, however, our Pastor Paul Wirth gave us a pep talk and high-level instructions about the effort. Included in his collection of Do’s and Don’ts were the words, “We’re even going to need someone to be our dumpster diver and make sure all the trash and debris remains manageable.”
That is where is got funny.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to win a ……. discussion ….. with the Holy Spirit. As soon as Paul mentioned the thing about managing the dumpsters, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.
“He’s talking about you, dude.”
“What? Umm….no.”
“Yep. He needs you in the trash.”
“But I don’t want to be in the trash.”
“That’s nice, but that’s where you’re going.”
“No. Why? Why me? Someone else can do it.”
“That may be so, but you know you’re the best suited for it.”
“Why? Because my dad was a janitor?”
“Partly. But also because you can organize. Because you’re creative. Because you can effectively maximize the available space. And because that is where He wants you to be.”
“So you’re saying all those hours in college I spent playing Tetris were preparing me for this moment?”
“Why do you think He provided you a Gameboy while you were at school.”
“Touché.”
There may have been some creative liberties in my retelling of the dialogue between myself and the Holy Ghost, but you get the idea. Some people call it hunches. Others, gut feeling. The band NEEDTOBREATHE refer to it lyrically as, “the little voice I heard, it’s just a whisper that sounded like a scream.”
To me, God’s message comes as an instantaneous thought and then develops into a conversation. Sometimes they’re very easy to understand and obey. Other times, I wrestle with them. I forget my own humanity and think I can barter and negotiate with God. In the end, He never steers me wrong and He always provides.
So the next time you find yourself in a dilemma, awkward situation, or just being asked to do something you wouldn’t normally want to do, take a second to hear what He is telling you. For me, I found the treasure of giving on top of that big pile of trash.
“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” -James 2:17 NLT
Gil Gonzalez 
So great to hear! I volunteer quite a lot myself. Mostly cooking at kids camps many times during the year. It’s exhausting but I love how the children’s faces lights up and remember me and pray for me during evening prayers. It’s worth so much more than money in the bank ♡♡ God bless amazing people like you, Lee and your children!
Thank you so much for the note, Michelle, and I hope all is well with you. It’s amazing what helping others can do for your own personal spirit. I know it’s cliche’, but it truly is in giving that we receive so much.
I think you have a new middle initial, Gil. It’s “D” for this act of service and “D” for “Do what He says.” Love this post and love the picture that’s worth a thousand words. I’m sharing!
Thank you, Cheryl. This was our second year helping with the home rehab project, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s effort. And yes, there is something to be said about obedience to Him, even in the smallest of things.