Come, All Who Are Weary and Burdened, and I Will Give You Rest

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

We at Central are so thankful for the peace like a river that comes from our Heavenly Father during times such as these.  What a blessing to be able to turn to Him in prayer and make all our requests known to Him, and, even better, to know that He is listening and answering us!  We have had so many examples of answered prayers throughout the past few days as He has provided exceedingly, abundantly more of all the supplies our neighbors have needed.

During our work with tornado victims, we have noticed that many are so uneasy as they walk through the door.  Just like many of us, these families never expected to have the word "victim" associated with their name, and it is incredibly difficult to seek out assistance.  We have walked through the center with these precious souls, encouraging them to fill their baskets with supplies as they hate to take too much, preferring to leave it for others in need.

Perhaps many of you reading this blog have been impacted by the storms, and you, too, have not wanted to come to our Relief Center, thinking instead that you will take care of yourself and leave all the donations for "people who really need them."

Whether we like it or not, we all need help as we travel down life's long and winding road.  Many of us learned that lesson as we struggled through 5 or more days with no electricity.  We were forced to rely on our family and friends for basic necessities such as a hot shower, a hot meal, or even the use of a washer and dryer.  I have reflected since the lights came back on that perhaps God was trying to teach us a lesson in those dark days.  Perhaps we have all become a little too self-reliant and needed a reminder that WE NEED HIM--every hour, every minute, every second of every day.  He used our friends, neighbors and family members as tools to take care of us, His children, in our time of need.  In the same way, I believe He is leading us in this relief effort to take care of even more of His children who are in need.

As the donations continue to pour into Central, we are longing to help and to serve.  Please encourage ALL those you know who have suffered as a result of these storms.  These donations are not just for those who have lost everything or those who are the most desperate--these donations are for all of us who may need a little help putting the pieces back together in our lives.  It is a blessing for us to be able to help, and all these things come from Him, not from us.  We are trying to be instruments of His peace, for we know all good things come from God

Also, we know that division among Christians can so often be an obstacle as we try to live for Jesus in a fallen world.  We don't care if you are Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Conservative, Liberal, Red, Yellow, Black or White--everyone is precious in His sight!  Please don't worry about any labels or allow differences in perspectives to deter you from encouraging those you know who need help to come to Central for relief.  The donations we have received have come from people all over the country and from all different religious backgrounds.  So many people are praying for North Alabama and just want to help in some way, and it has been so wonderful to see all these divisions fall away as we unite in helping our neighbors.

Galations 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the Law of Christ."  By encouraging all you know who need a little assistance to come and visit our Relief Center at Central, you are helping us live our mission of Loving Jesus, Loving Each Other and Serving the World.  We thank God for blessing us with this opportunity to serve, and we look forward to serving even more of our neighbors in the days ahead as we clean up and rebuild our communities and our state together.