Do you want to know why I really published a colouring book?
I got tired. Achingly weary right to my bones. I got tired of all the debates; of all the arguing. Of all the loud talking but the not doing.
I look at facebook and there are so many debates and vaguebooking and complaining and I wondered what I was really doing for the world. Everyone has opinions – even strong opinions. I do as well. But are we going to ever convince the next person to change their strong opinions? I doubt that I will ever convince you to think the way I think and I sure know that you won’t convince me.
Facebook and social media seemed to be boiled down to attacking one another and smearing people groups and ideas in the mud. What good does this do? What does it accomplish? Is this who we have become? Have we become people who don’t accept the people that we don’t agree with? Have we become people who just want to be right no matter what it costs?
Sometimes we think that if we are saying something loud on facebook or in social media we are living life loud. Which in fact is not true. Loving your neighbor is living your life loud. Yelling on face book is just that – it’s yelling.
I have opinions on gun control and health plans and transgender bathrooms and presidents and refugees. But I feel like stating my opinion is not changing the world. I wish it were that easy.
I want to change the world. I got tired of sitting in my beautiful small church wanting to do something great but really just having a hard time getting up on Sunday and getting there in time to set up all the stuff. I wanted my life to mean something. I wanted to impact something or someone. If we have stopped doing that as a church, as a family, or as an individual, we have stopped living life boldly and beautifully.
If we have stopped loving our neighbor and taking care of those that have less than us, we have missed the whole point of Christianity.
“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Matthew 25:42-45
Wow. wow. I want to feed Jesus. I want to clothe Jesus. I want to do something that really matters for Jesus. When I do something that really matters for a person that needs it, I am doing it for Jesus. I can totally wrap my mind around that.
YES, I want to add that to the list because that is the list that really matters. That is the list that really accounts for something. Love is the only thing that is going to be left behind by me after I die. Love.
What if we take this year and decide to make someone’s life awesome? What if we looked around us and found a family, a people group, a nation and we decided to give what we had?
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be amazing. It doesn’t have to be completely polished. It just has to be our best. Our talent. Our heart – our time. Absolutely whatever we can give. Because that’s what Jesus would like us to do. Living life boldly in his love.
What if we went to the store for the sole purpose of helping someone in the parking lot?
What if we went to the library for the sole purpose of finding someone that may need our prayers – even silently in our hearts?
I have a good friend whose word for this year is LOOK. I applaud that.
What if we spent this next year, looking? Looking for a person who needs us. What if we spent the next year with a person or persons in mind with the sole purpose of being someone important in their lives? Someone who can help. Someone who was there? It wouldn’t only change their lives – it would change ours.
I want to live my life with hands outstreched, with walls broken down; with the love of Christ in my heart – even if they can give nothing back.
So I set out on a journey. A journey of doing something that felt important – meaningful.
And Faith Untangled was born. And then Unchained. Born to help a family in Africa. Because it felt right.
Look around you. Find that someone who is waiting for you…
Recent Comments