Last weekend I was reminded again of why we do what we do. One of our volunteers had been given the opportunity to share with his church about why he serves with CLA-LA. I always like to hear our story told by our volunteers, interns, and clients: it reminds me of the incredible heart change and people-to-people connections that happen when we meet to serve. What he said has been resonating with me this week.
He spoke, not of forms or numbers or accomplishments, but of beauty. We serve because as we do, we see and partake in the beauty of the gospel. We are reminded of the sacrifice that was made for us, and the unfathomable grace we have been given. We allow ourselves to be confronted with our own brokenness, our own prejudice, our own weakness. We are drawn out of ourselves and are invited into the Kingdom. We bring our meager efforts and see them engulfed in the momentum of our Lord’s insatiable, unfathomable, triumphant love.
Too often I see the work that we do as merely words on an 11” computer screen. At times, all I think about are the lists of calls left to be made, the piles of paperwork left to sort through, and the miles of concrete left to be traversed. But CLA-LA is so much more than that. It’s you — our volunteers, donors, hosts, prayer partners, families, and friends. It is people laying down their lives in service of a better community and a more eternal justice. Most of all, it is our Father at work delighting in, suffering with, providing for, and redeeming His people.
Why do we serve? Because nothing can compare to the beauty of His love.
