Service and Humility

There's quite a bit of service happening in central Vermont.  Everyone I meet is wondering how they can help and what they can do.  By the way, there's no better way to meet people than through a catastrophe like a flood.

I'm noticing something today.  I'm extremely attracted to the people who are willing to help however they can be used.  I'm also attracted to the people who share willingly about their abilities and then start offering those talents in various ways.  I'm not particularly attracted to those who are annoyed or bothered if the type of work available is not important or what they expected to do.

My heart was opened two days ago.  We went to visit a man who's trailer was right next to the river.  Can you believe his trailer had no water in it?!  The water went under the trailer and messed with some out buildings but didn't damage the trailer.  I started to sense disappointment, that there was little to do here, especially little that didn't require some kind of machine/equipment that we didn't have (apparently our high-tech world has made me forget about the wheelbarrow).  On top of my disappointment, this dear brother was telling us story after story.  Half way through story time, I realized that listening may be helpful too.  My heart and mind kept opening up to that possibility.  The more I considered listening, the more I became interested in listening.  And then I didn't want him to stop telling me stories.  As long as he could heal and share through his stories, I wanted to listen.

Dear God, open me and whomever read's this, to the possibility that the work you have for us today is different than the work we expected to do today.  May it be so.

Brandon