Life is Worth It!

This morning, soon after waking, I found out that one of our
Fill-A-Belly guests was missing. Miguel
had gone hiking in Big Bear with some friends and no one had heard from them in
three days.  Temperatures were in the
40’s at night so I immediately feared the worst. 

(One of our guests getting food at Fill-A-Belly this week) 

I’ve seen Miguel every Tuesday for the last few years.  His gentle, encouraging words always lift my
spirits.  Miguel patiently listens when I
make awkward conversation and consistently points me towards God.  Each of his deliberate actions emanates from
a deep love of Jesus. 

 

After hearing the news I was heartbroken.  Lately, death has felt like a dark cloud
hovering over my community.  Recently,
one of my closest friends had a miscarriage late into her pregnancy, and Michael
Black committed suicide on the same day that cancer stole the life of one of my
old Junior High students.  We lose
Fill-A-Belly guys at a horrifyingly fast rate; I hear about another undignified
death every few weeks.  Right now I’m
preparing to go back to Swaziland where I’ve witnessed way too many vibrant
young lives stolen by AIDS.   

 

 

After hearing about Miguel, I selfishly I cried out to God,
“seriously, I don’t want to deal with another death.  I don’t want to lose another friend.  This is not what I signed up for 5 years ago
when you said to bring some sack dinners to the homeless in Carlsbad.” 

 

I prayed, but feared the worse.  Missing hiker stories rarely end good, especially
after three days in almost freezing temperatures. 

 

Then the unthinkable happened…

 

 

Miguel and his friends were found, cold but all right.  They were carrying a banner with the words
“Jesus is Lord.”  Huddling underneath it
helped keep them alive. 

 

For the last few months I’ve been in a fog.  I went through the motions of loving our
guests but didn’t let any conversations penetrate my heart.  Tiredness and self-imposed busyness robbed me
from caring deeply for others.  Tonight, I
went to Fill-A-Belly with renewed energy.  

I was reminded that life is short and each moment with those friends is
a precious gift.  What a victory!  We didn’t have to give another death
announcement; instead it was time to celebrate. 

 

As I made the rounds, one of our long time guests
confided in me that he got a job and moved into a home this week.  That moment made me realize that the
seemingly insurmountable battles we wage weekly at Fill-A-Belly are worth the
fight.