Way #3: Community Service

Yesterday (Saturday), I had the pleasure of working with the Young Adults at Greenforest Community Baptist Church on a service project! The mission was originally to clean out some of the stuff that has accumulated over the years in our Family Life Center (aka the gym). Instead, we turned our attentions to a closet in the "infamous" Room 12. I say "infamous" because everyone at "The Forest" has had a meeting/party/baby shower/ gathering of some sort in the room at some time in their membership/visitation at the church. So, when I say that we cleaned out a closet in the room, you can almost imagine what sort of state the closet was in! Decorations, pictures of members that no one even recognized, awards, eating utensils, even a box full of defunct television remotes! What in the world?! The job was huge! But not "too huge" for the Young Adults! After two hours (and some...a lot of fellowship), The Young Adult Ministry, the Mwaura's (our Youth/Young Adult Minister), a wonderful youth volunteer and Rev. Holder finally got the thing cleaned out and organized! The floor was swept, the clutter removed. I couldn't help but smile a bit as we looked at the outcome and especially after I thought about what Rev. Holder had been saying the entire time.

"If you all hadn't been here to help, I would've had to do all of this by myself..."

Clearly, the job was for more than one person. Sure, we only had about six or seven volunteers. But, just thinking about how LONG that could've taken with just one woman doing lifting by herself! It would've taken her ALL DAY! The knowledge that we helped take a job that extensive and compressed into two hours of shared effort and less work and strain for one of the hardest working women at Greenforest warmed my heart.

I will truly say that I'm not one to LOVE doing hard work, especially when that hard work involves cleaning a tray that was encrusted with hot wing gook from probably months ago that someone "forgot" to clean. But there was something liberating about spending a rainy, Saturday morning shifting through years of junk and decorations. This year has brought so many opportunities to do just that. Maybe not cleaning out closets. But definitely helping out the community. On MLK day, our church took an "ON" day instead of the typical holiday "off" day. My group (as there were many service/mission projects going on at one time) packed up blankets and clothing for a women & children shelter.I've never felt so filled by doing the simple task of taking my time, time that would probably be used buried beneath my covers and comforter, and spend it in service for a brother or sister.

I don't know about you, reader, but sometimes...I think back on when my single life was so much harder (as this thing hasn't always been a cake walk and it still isn't). I cried all the time, wondering why God hadn't seen fit to send me "the one", the guy that would marry me and make it all better. But my one epic flaw was that I was thinking inwardly, instead of outwardly. I was so consumed with myself and my HORRID single life, that I couldn't see the needs of people around me. I was so busy crying while watching the "Wedding Story" on TLC that I couldn't internalize any of the horrors in the nightly news. I was so busy whining and complaining about not having a man that I couldn't hear my unsaved friends crying out for something "better" in their lives, I couldn't see their suffering. But I praise God for the freedom of Joy in aiding others. I honestly have never been happier. And I'm saying this unemployed and living in my parent's basement, guys!

If you haven't already, find a community project in your area! Whether it be tutoring a student in your neighborhood, cleaning up a public park, working with Habitat for Humanity, getting involved in ANYWAY in the rebuild in Haiti...just get involved. You'll be so surprised how the pain of being without a date/mate lessens when you're busy helping out or looking for your next service project!

Life it up!