Multiplication

I'm not sure I even know where to start with this post. I had talked a little in my last post about the things that I received from some incredible women I know for my birthday party with Bright Blessings,  but I did not know just how much it would mean to me until Monday evening.

On Monday, I got an e-mail from the volunteer coordinator at Bright Blessings asking me if I could change my menu from lasagna to something else because another group was bringing spaghetti the night before. Because one of my amazing friends generously donated $30, I said "Sure. I can do tacos." Without thinking twice or worrying about how I was going to pull together a meal for 25 people by myself.

Tuesday night, my oldest friend (and I mean that she has known me the longest, not that she's old) went with me to buy taco stuff because she had so graciously committed to helping me with the party tonight. When we got to the register, I paid the $30 I'd been given and she paid $8 out of pocket. For tacos for 25 people.

But, I still have all of the stuff I needed to make lasagna.
And we have an April party.

Do you know what that means?

It means that the two times Jesus fed the multitudes in the gospels of the Bible were not isolated incidents. It means that God has some excellent math skills. It means that I don't have to worry about next month's meal and how I'm going to get it together because He multiplied lots of small acts of kindness into something greater. Isn't that just amazing?

He turned it into a math lesson, a lesson about giving, a lesson about kindness, a lesson about filling up the storehouse, a lesson about just showing up and waiting on something wonderful to happen. All I did was show up and He took care of the rest. It is shocking and astounding.

It's like affirmation that parties are a Jesus thing.

 I got to thinking tonight after we left that I think if Jesus were still here, He'd totally hang out at that house. As someone who still isn't sure about the church thing, this was a pretty important thought. We tend to think about church being the only place that Jesus hangs but in the Bible, He had more street cred. I learn more about the heart of God in a homeless shelter than I could have ever been taught by someone else in a church. Because that place is magical.

All of the bad in the world gets transformed into something lovely and beautiful. Women learn their worth and value. They build friendships that will likely last forever. Their children learn what it looks like to claw your way out of adversity. I learn the new rules for multiplication. I learn to never give up or give in because I know lots of women who don't give up or give in, so why should I? I learn what it feels like to accept help and how freeing it feels to not be in control all the time. I learn that when I get out of my own way, nothing is impossible because I have really, really amazing friends carrying me. I learn what a true community looks like and I learn that the things that make Jesus smile look a lot 27  people holding hands and saying the blessing around the dining room table. It looks a lot like a candle on a cupcake. It looks a lot like a 29 year old mother of 3 talking about her dreams in the kitchen.

It looks a lot like you.
It looks a lot like me.