spread this love like dandelions

This weekend was absolutely amazing. From making new nicknames to the best mac-n-cheese ever, from the fat camp hill to the chicken's water breaking, and from hilarious candid pictures to pigging out on Cheez-Its, the mission trip was probably the best one I've ever participated in. God was definitely with us and He helped us to do much more physical and spiritual work than I ever expected we'd do. Although singing in the black church was awesome and helping to renovate that house was a great experience, I believe my favorite part was when we were on the prayer walk and got to go in that church and sing with them and hear them sing. Although I never expected it to have that big of an impact on it, while we were in that church singing and praying, I realized how blessed I am and how much God has covered me with his grace. That ever-famous BJ Stricklin once defined grace and explained its differentiation from mercy. Mercy is like this:

A little kid whose mom tells him not to go play in the mud. The kid plays in the mud anyway, then he comes inside and his mom forgives him and gives him a bath and puts clean clothes on him.

But grace is like the little kid comes in all muddy and his mom gives him a bath and clean clothes, and lets him get cookies out of the cookie jar too. It's like even though he disobeyed, he repented, was forgiven, and BLESSED BEYOND JUST FORGIVENESS.

Over this weekend I realized how much I am like that little kid. Over and over again God tells me not to play in the mud, filth, and sin of the world. But I do anyway. And then when I come to Him with and humble and repentant heart, he forgives me, then blesses me with the chance to bless others with His love- just like he did this weekend. The one main thing I took away from this weekend is that ministering to people like the homeless, sick, and drug-addicts is not a thing that should make me feel good inside because I did something good. It makes me feel good inside because I got to spread God's love that he "poured out on me abundantly". (1 Timothy 1:14)