Here are the Keys to My Truck. Keep’em.

I went to a party at a friend’s house last week. It was an unusual gathering. My friends own a large house in a beautiful part of town and they’re always using it to offer a respite to tired or wounded ministers, missionaries, single moms or others in need.

Such was the occasion last week. A ministry family we love dearly–they were at the center of the Katrina restoration efforts in Mississippi and are still dealing with the effects of the storm–lost their baby son at 37 days. My friends invited the couple, their parents and their 2 young boys to come and stay with them for a few days. The party was our chance to see and encourage them.

Also there was a young couple–my friend’s daughter and son-in-law–who just received an emergency placement of a three-year-old from Child Protective Services. The beautiful little girl was taken from her parents because of their recurring Meth habit. It also happened to be the little girl’s third birthday, so we celebrated with her in high fashion.

One of the couples who attended the party came in two cars–rather, a truck and a car. When they were leaving, they walked over to the couple from Mississippi and handed them the keys to the truck. It was a gift.

You need to know that this couple isn’t independently wealthy. They work hard to pay their bills and live modestly. But they know the pain the good folks from Mississippi have been through, including their financial struggles, and felt led to do something. So they gave them their truck.

It was stunning.

Friends, that’s what life is about for Jesus-followers. We are to live for others, not ourselves. Our stuff isn’t for us, but for God to do with as he pleases. Your house or that extra bedroom or that truck you love isn’t even yours. It’s God’s, and that means he intends you to use it to help someone else.

It’s time to open the conversation about what it means to have Enough. Stay tuned.