In April of this year, when my Zimbabwean friend Muchengetwa returned from Africa, he recounted the frustrating experience of trying to find a simple catheter for his sick mother. It got me thinking and praying. Predictably, my heart became compassionate and I set out on a mission to figure out how we could help rectify the problem of the lack of medical supplies in Zimbabwe. I soon began contacting friends, associates and organizations that might want to help us out. Between May & August we received three donations which all total filled the back of a minivan. I started getting concerned that at this rate we weren't going to make much of an impact any time soon. I then began praying for God's blessing. Suddenly, in the middle of August I received a call that some contacts in Chicago had supplies for us and suggested that I bring a big truck. In faith I drove up a 26' box truck and they filled it from floor to ceiling, all the way to the back door. As I drove home overwhelmed with their generosity, I realized that I had a big problem. The warehouse space I had been given couldn't contain the amount of supplies that had been donated. I was soon in panic mode. After getting the word out via my trusty iPhone, Mark Seely of Mercy & Truth Medical Missions called to offer us the use of their facility. I was so relieved and thanked him profusely. In the course of the conversation Mark then offered us all of their medical supplies and equipment that they had stored in the warehouse. Suddenly, we had gone from a few boxes of supplies to enough to fill two 40' shipping containers in a matter of 24 hours!  

While this all sounds terribly exciting (after all God did bless us beyond expectation) the reality of the situation is that it has overwhelmed our organizational infrastructure and created a stress level that has left us all exhausted. In light of the massive amount of work involved in our "Compassionate Hands" project, I've been reflecting a lot on the biblical story Luke recounts in Chapter 5. Jesus, wanting to put some space between Himself and the crowds at the edge of Lake Gennesaret, climbed into Simon's boat and asked him to anchor it offshore. From there He proceeded to teach the people who had gathered to listen to Him. When He was done, He suggested to Simon that they go fishing only to be rebuffed by his comment "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." I find it interesting that the blessing of God came when they were already worn out and tired. It was about to drive them to a state of even greater exhaustion. God didn't wait for them to get refreshed and be in a good place emotionally. Out of simple respect for Jesus, Simon decides to "let down the nets." What happens next is equally interesting to me as the catch was so large their nets began to break and their boats started sinking! It's fascinating to me that the blessing of God overwhelmed their infrastructure and destroyed the tools of their trade (nets) while almost sinking their boats! The blessing of God can be a costly adventure.

In thinking about this story, it certainly is sheds a different light on the sanitized versions we heard in Sunday school. I wonder if our expectations of God's blessings look a lot more like a nice wicker basket with a beautiful bow and kind note from God telling us how wonderful we are. Truth be told, when the supernatural invades the natural chaos ensues. Things are turned upside down and the order of things gets messed up. I wonder how many of us are really ready to deal with the chaos blessing can bring. As for me, its stretching my boundaries beyond what I even thought possible. I'm in uncharted territory and yet while exhausted, I'm filled with a heart of gratitude for the goodness of God.