Living out your faith is not rocket science. You don’t need somebody to tell you to do it. You certainly don’t need an organization, or a program to be loving and caring toward people. You simply need to realize it’s up to you, and then, live your life with your eyes open noticing the people and opportunities all around you. Oh yeah, you need to be willing to be interrupted, and you need to really love people, so you don’t think of them like projects.
We need to say goodbye to our comfort zone. Serving/loving/relating to people like Jesus did will take you places you have never been. That’s because with Jesus, there are no untouchables, no outcasts, no fringe, no minorities, no ethnicities, no unacceptable people. Actually, he sought them out; or they sought him. These folks need to see a little of Jesus’ love, and we each can be one that has that honor.
You might need to reach out to someone you don’t like, or someone who would not normally associate with. You might find yourself called on to enter a whole new arena when you begin to help a person.
We need to get some new glasses. You will begin to see people that you never noticed before. That’s what so impressive about Jesus, he noticed people who were invisible because everyone ignored them, a blind beggar, a handicapped person.
We encounter a lot of people in our regular life. Most of them, we don’t think about. They are just there, they perform a service, and then we go on. We need to start thinking about them, and engage them as the opportunity presents itself.
We need to expect to be interrupted. Opportunities, needs, and crises never happen at a convenient time. There is a time to forget our priorities, and a time to just be available to help someone.
It’s not love until you get moving. Warm feelings and well-wishes fall short. Love required things of us.
A lot of people find meaning in participating with organized efforts that help people, like a food kitchen, homeless shelter, or some other endeavor. That’s great because then you have the opportunity to experience community with the other people involved in serving. But you don’t need an organization to care about people; you just need to be aware of the opportunities around you.
Photo credit: Jesse Menn. Creative Commons.
