Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Trading Notes....

Every Monday, I have the blessing of joining my brother, Ryan, and a few others and experience something life-giving and life-changing.  We all meet at Ryan's and cook a crap-load of food and take it to the park across from the library in downtown Nashville where we sit and hang and provide food for the people that don't have any.  

I have had the chance to get to know people that I never thought to be interested in and heard stories that I never thought I would hear firsthand (some of which I could've done without!).  They share their gratefulness and we share our friendship and in the end, it really becomes this great big wisdom-exchanging-fest!  I have learned more about simplicity and pure joy in the last couple months than I ever have before.  I had a joke battle with an old man from AlabamER and greatly extended my library of football trivia with a die-hard Michigan fan (Go Wolverines).  I learned about the point of view from an alcoholic father looking down to his daughters and I've learned that even women that are hungry and cold want to look and feel pretty.  I've learned that pain is relative and loneliness is curable.  I learned all this by trading notes with people I would have never thought to ask.  

I am not always sure why I am placed in the situations and conversations that I am placed in, but I am SURE there is always a reason.  I have had to learn a lot about forgetting myself in these situations and allowing God the room to work.  Some of us get worried about what WE have to do and how WE can contribute to situations.  We feel this obligation and almost pressure to minister and preach, when all God wants us to do is to love and be with each other.  By being friends with my Monday people, I feel like I have been able to share me, they share them, and we all realize how much we belong together, how much we need each other.  

There are beautiful people in the world that the world has called ugly.  Introduce yourself.

8 comments:

  1. Very well said Rachael!! You have such a good heart and people can see that. I know I can that's why I fell in love with your music because you really care about people & want to make a difference! Beautifully written my friend! God Bless!!

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  2. Very true. We should always look at people through compassionate eyes (What Would Jesus Do?). I think it is great that you are doing this :) Especially those people need help.

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  3. ya God just wants us to love to the best of our ability everyday...if we do that, than we are right where we are supposed to be. thanks again for posting these. You are great! and funny!

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  4. Are you really Rachel Lampa, or is that just your blogger name?
    If you are, I really like your music!
    It is a mix between contemporary Christian and Yanni :)

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  5. very good point to make. i will do that.

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