Chocolate Milk and Smart Food

Well, I'm currently at an overnight at my work. Definilty wasn't looking forward to this shift, and I was feeling kindof sick on the way here...but it's turned out to be the best overnight I think I've had so far!! Well..keeping my fingers crossed that the next 7 hours don't suck horribly!

It started out with me being able to get all the paper work and chores done that are required for an overnight shift, within my first hour of being here...so done by midnight! woo hoo! thats a record for me! and then just as I went back upstairs and was doing the checks on the kids my cell phone rings. And its Matt and Peter saying that they're at Kennedy and Eglinton and would like to know where my work is. I was a little hesitant, as I have 6 sleeping kids here, and it's Childrens Aid, so no one is allowed to come in who doesn't work here..but they assured me they would be quiet and just stand at the door as they had something to drop off for me. So 2 minutes later I get a phone call from the guy doing the overnight at Moberly (the adolescent group home that is attached to my latency aged group home) saying that two guys are outside for me and they looked kindof lost (he seemed a little mad...but hopefully he doesn't mention this to anyone! eek!) So anyways, I went downstairs to the door, and there is Peter and Matt..who had come bearing gifts!! and not just ANY gifts..the keys to my heart! haha. They brought me a mini jug of chocolate milk, and a bag of smart food!! And to top it off..Matt had come across some sort of giant yellow "children playing" type street sign while working at family services, and brought it to add to my sign collection! woo hoo! (not that having a giant yellow street sign at work is the most convient haha, but the thought of course is what counts!)
So..a night that had started out as me dreading, and feeling pretty crappy (I downed a large cafe mocha from Timmies in like 2 minutes..that definitly = bad idea and I hope I never have that urge again!) has turned out to be pretty great night!! I mean chocolate milk alone will brighten any sort of gloomy day I'm having haha..but its the fact that Matt and Peter knew exactly what would make me have a great night, and went out of their way..at 12:00 at night, to get it to me!! Yay for great friends blessing me just when I need it most! I definitly have to thank God for having those kinds of people in my life! They are an extreme benefit to have, and help to keep me ticking!

This actually kindof leads into what I just read in the Bible recently. On a bus ride somewhere the other day I read straight through 1, 2 & 3 John (HUGE read, I know haha) because I had yet to actually read right through them. And the reoccuring theme that kept popping out at me was love! John just kept talking about it! About not loving the world, about the great love the Father has for us, how to love one another, God's love and ours and it just goes on and on from there. He just puts so much time into talking about how we should be living, and treating others, if we truly are filled with the love of God. And it's so true. Having a servants heart and doing good deeds shouldn't be a chore. Why? Because if we TRULY are filled with the love of God, then we'll want to do acts like that simply because we are just busting full of the goodness of our creator. Treating another human with respect and being hospitable shouldn't be a chore! It should be an honour and a treat to be able to demonstrate the astounding love of God to someone else!

A few verses that stick out to me from this passage is:

"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" - 1 John 1:6-7

"but if anyone obeys his word God's love is truly made complete in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:5-6

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." - 1 John 3: 1

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishement. Theone who fears in not made perfect by love." - 1 John 4:18

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." - 2 John 6

And there are so many more...all 3 books are just fabulous..so if you have a few minutes, give them a read!! John was definitly right on the mark with all that he's talking about!! And its so awesome how relevant it all still is!!

So...tying this all back into the generous act of Peter and Matt. I'd like to think that it's because they love me as a sister in Christ as to why they made such an effort to bring me my little care package here at work. And can I express to you again how much it turned around my night?? And plastered a smile on this face of mine?? It might be hard sometimes to always deomonstrate God's love to those around us, the way that John talks about. But try to think of it as, how do you feel when someone does a good deed for you? How do you feel when someone brings you smart food and chocolate milk at midnight when you're having a crappy day? If you can grasp a hold of that warm feeling that you get inside..think about how great it would be if you could spread that and give others the opportunity to feel the effects of a little love shown in their direction.

Well, on that note...I think I'm going to go lay down on the floor some where as I've drunk wayyy too much of this chocolate milk in the time it's taken me to write this blog...

So..God Bless! And spread the love!!