While We Wait, God Is Still at Work

By Javier & Alba

This week, we were one person short, but we were not short of willing hands. One of our volunteers was unable to join us at the food bank, and when we reached out to our congregation for someone to fill in, we found a willing heart ready to help. There was no need for persuasion; we simply shared the need, and someone stepped forward. That simple act brought us joy, a joy that deepened as we realized it was part of something much greater. In our Double Nourishment ministry, we are equally blessed by faithful, generous volunteers whose dedication lightens our responsibilities and allows us to give more time and attention to those we serve. And in our Leadership Seedbed, through increasingly heartfelt conversations and simple moments shared around the table, we are watching relationships blossom in ways no amount of planning could ever accomplish. Something beautiful is taking shape among us: people are no longer simply participating in a ministry; they are beginning to care for one another as family. And when a community learns to carry one another’s burdens, the love of Christ becomes more than a message we hear. It becomes something we can see, feel, and embrace.

What moves us most is that, as we witnessed these acts of kindness, we realized how deeply we needed them ourselves. There are personal matters we continue to entrust to God, hopes we still carry in prayer, and roads ahead whose destination we cannot yet see. Yet, without our even asking, the Lord has surrounded us with people who make the journey lighter. Perhaps this is one of the most tender expressions of His wisdom: teaching us to recognize His goodness even before our deepest longings are fulfilled. Proverbs 8 invites us to treasure that wisdom above riches, while Romans 9 reminds us that mercy flows from the heart of God, not from anything we could ever do to earn it. How differently we begin to see life when we realize that not every gift arrives wrapped in what we expected! Sometimes it comes as an outstretched hand, someone willing to share a responsibility, or a friendship quietly beginning to bloom. And we discover that, even before Jesus changes certain circumstances, He may already be filling the road ahead with love.

Perhaps that is why our gratitude carries such profound meaning this week. We are celebrating more than tasks accomplished or gatherings growing warmer and more connected. We are celebrating the privilege of recognizing Christ in a community that is learning to serve as He served, with humility, generosity, and love. And as we think of those who carry unspoken prayers deep within their hearts, we want to offer this encouragement: do not let what you are still longing for keep you from rejoicing in the goodness already surrounding you. Look at the people God has placed along your path; one of them may be the answer to a prayer you never thought to pray. And if today you have an opportunity to lighten someone else's burden, embrace it with joy, because you, too, may become an unexpected expression of God's mercy. We will continue bringing our dreams before the Lord, but now we do so with renewed gratitude, knowing that His love has been neither distant nor silent. As we wait for what only God can do, we give thanks for all that He is already doing among us.

Javier & Alba