Not to be sold or exchanged

Ok, so I told my friend Stacey last night that I finally feel like I am functioning again after returning from Haiti. I was in such culture shock for a couple weeks that I didn't know what to do with myself. I'd find myself wondering what I should be doing and then get zapped back to reality and say, "Oh, maybe I should do some laundry." You know, stuff that usually came automatically wasn't because I just had so much to process.

And after pondering and praying, I have something I'd like to share with all of you . . .

I can't stop thinking about the best ways to continue to help Haiti, but in so many ways the corruption of their government makes it somewhat difficult. Our team spent thousands of dollars (American dollars) on food to distribute, but the bags of beans and rice we purchased had originally been donated by the US. They said (in English, not Creole) "Product of USA - Not to be sold or exchanged" right on the bag! They were meant to be GIVEN to the hungry people of Haiti, but instead were taken to warehouses and stores by the government or wealthy "bourgeois".

I read this verse while pondering this conundrum on the airplane back to Pittsburgh:

"You're a hard-hearted bunch and hard to help.
I'm ready to help you right now.
Deliverance is not a long-range plan.
Salvation isn't on hold."
- Isaiah 46:12-13(MSG)

But don't we all find ourselves rebellious and hard-hearted at some point in our lives? Maybe it's before we come to God, maybe even it's after we've known Jesus for years. We'll resist His free grace and ignore His plan for our lives. Or perhaps the free forgiveness He provides is sometimes exactly the thing some people end up extorting and trying to "sell." The favor of God is NOT FOR SALE. His grace is not to be stored up in the warehouses of our churches or holy clubs, but it is intended to be distributed free-of-charge and without limit.

May we receive God's free gift today. Let it wash over us afresh. Open your hands to receive it. And then be sure to GIVE it away. Share it freely with people around you who are starving for His mercy and forgiveness and love. Do not hoard. Do not extort. Do not sell it for penance or shame. Give the free gift for free.

And please keep praying for Haiti and so much of our world who are in desperate need. Pray that we will find creative ways to love them despite the difficulty. God didn't give up on us when we were "hard to help". He still sent Jesus, and He continues to draw people to Himself with the sweet offer of His free liberation from sin and death. As His followers, may we persevere as well.