Jacob’s Story

“What people often really need is someone to talk to, someone to care that they exist. As I learn to care for other people, I can feel my soul expanding.”

What started out as a service project, to help out with People Loving Nashville, has become a way of life for me. One Monday on our way downtown from the kitchen at Belmont Church, I had a moment of clarity, where I suddenly realized how much I need Monday nights and the experience of serving. This has become my weekly perspective shift, my reality check, my reminder how much I have to be grateful for.   It surprised me to discover how much I need to help other people, and how it grows my character and outlook.

In dialoguing with my new friends downtown, I’ve come to see how we’re all much closer to being on the street than we realize. This isn’t a fearful or morbid thought, just a reflection on the stories of people I’ve gotten to know.  You never know what tragedy has befallen someone to change the course of their life.  And I never know what catastrophe could strike me and totally change my circumstances.  I don’t want to live in fear, but to be thankful. In response, I’m learning not to make such a big deal out of little things that upset my plans.  

I welcome new challenges, so when we decided to have a small team go to a low-income apartment complex, I jumped in.  As much as I love the big crowd downtown, it’s been really neat to see the intimacy of this smaller group of regular people we visit.  While the food and clothing are certainly important to them, we see that what people often really need is someone to talk to, someone to care that they exist. Me too.

As I learn to care for other people, I can feel my soul expanding.  It has challenged me to humble myself in other areas of my life as well, and to look out for the needs and hearts of others throughout the week, not just on Mondays!