A Great Number and a Greater Reminder

I really dislike paperwork. To the point which yesterday I realized thanks to Irma I was 3 months behind on our monthly reports for the Food Ministry. Now I knew we have had a lot of people that have been helped since the storm but I was in no way prepared for what I discovered. From September 12 thru October 31st we were blessed to be able to minister to 1138 families representing 4100 individuals.

Now to put that into perspective, an average month we serve 250 families and between 400-500 individuals, annually the past few years we've been steady just shy of 7000 individuals for the year.

Insane. However, as I started to reflect on these numbers I was given a stern reminder. Romans 12:3 literally popped up on my phone and as I read the words I was immediately convicted. See Paul had every reason to boast about his achievements as well yet he realized the danger in thinking too highly of himself. Listen to what he says:

"For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one." Christian Standard Bible

I love how Eugene Peterson phrases this passage in The Message: 

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. Romans 12:3 MSG

In the greater context, Paul is referring to spiritual gifts, but the point is still very much a valid one. Just as we must always remember where our giftings come from, we must also remember as Peterson puts it not the ones bringing the goodness to God. It's not about the good works we do, it's about what God has already done. He is the one who brings all goodness into this world. Thus, "the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him."

It's not wrong to look at the work that has been done and be excited and proud of it. We just have to remember who actually was responsible for those things. Neither I nor our amazing team of volunteers are the ones responsible for the fact that 1000+ families were impacted with the Gospel message over the past two months. The responsibility for that lies with God alone. We are just blessed to have been used as His instruments, and what a blessing that has been.