By late September, 2009, we were ready. Over the previous several months, we had spent hours on the process of choosing the right cabinets, appliances and accessories to make our kitchen perfect. We had saved enough money for the project, found the right contractor for the job and were very excited to have seen the last of our outdated kitchen.

I was thinking about the kitchen as my wife and I drove to and arrived at church on Sunday, September 27, 2009. We visited the coffee and pastry table and chatted with some friends before sitting down in our padded fold up chair. From those soft seats my wife and I listened as the pastor encouraged us to “hunger and thirst for righteousness”.

“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. There is wonderful news for those who are hungry to see God’s goodness prevail. When we want what God wants we will find satisfaction like we have never imagined. Could you dare to ask God to show you how to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with him?”

Though we’ve listened to hundreds of sermons in our life, this one in particular resonated. For us, those words were personal and challenging and persistent. We talked and thought about these statements and questions throughout the day and into the night. What does it mean for us to hunger and thirst for goodness? Is it possible that our desires are not for the things that God desires? Is it possible that God wants to use us to carry out his plan of justice and mercy?

We have found that asking the questions is often where the journey begins and ends.But that day the questions felt important and we were convinced that the Holy Spirit wanted us to answer them.As we talked and prayed, it became clear to us that the money we had set aside for our dream kitchen was not aligned with God’s plans to use those savings for the benefit of people with more immediate needs.

The check was an easy one to write. As my hand wrote letters and numbers, I felt God’s hand bring a rush of peace and joy, erasing the hope of a new kitchen and replacing it with a hope that his will for justice and mercy and peace will be done.

Sunday, September 27, 2009, will be a day that we will not soon forget. God showed up that day and moved in our hearts. He is good.