It is in our desire to see God's kingdom come more fully into the present that a passion is ignited that would move us to give our lives completely to His purposes. In love and compassion our actions can lead us to a place where we are no longer living for ourselves but allowing "ourselves" to be used in the restoring work God is already doing to create His will on Earth as it is in Heaven.I can say with confidence that God's will is to see His plan of restoration come to full completeness. So for us, doing His will is as simple as following His commands to love one another, to die to ourselves and to care for those in need. Because when we do these things, God's will is being done as His creation moves closer to His desired state of peace, purity, and Glory...
You never know what kind of feeling you will have when you return to your home in America with all the cush and convenience our country affords us. Many warned us that coming back from Uganda we might expect to feel anger or disgust about all that we have...and all that we waste. I think it is right to look at all that we waste with a holy discontent but my perspective, returning to the U.S, was slightly different than I expected. Rather than feeling guilt or the need to renounce all that I have, instead I look at IT ALL and think of what a great responsibility we have as Americans who have been entrusted with so much excess of resources. Us Americans, who have been born into (with no merit of our own) this great country that affords us so many resources and liberties.
We often live life thinking we deserve what we have because we have "worked so hard" to earn it. We even wonder why we should "GO" to another country to help others. After all, we have all kinds of needs here and no one is coming to bail us out.We waiver, complain , him and haw about our 401K's and the condition of our financial portfolios. As if everyone in the world has them and we are the only ones who are having these little set backs. I even find myself regularly complaining about stupid things like the taste of the water (once a year) and having too many cars parked in my drive way... RIDICULOUS, I tell ya'!!!
But to me, it seems,.. that not a single one of us has done anything to earn the privilege to be born in a country that affords us so many conveniences to complain about.... You could call it lucky, but I am beginning to wonder. According to Jesus, these are the things that bring us farther from God's blessings because we become paralyzed, distracted and enamored by the tyranny of ownership.
So should we renounce all that we have? Maybe, if that's what God is calling you to do. But for me, I am reminded that perhaps with our great blessings comes great responsibility. The responsibility to give our lives and resources to helping the meek, weak, poor, hungry and oppressed of other lands.
The truth as I see it is that our most desperate times in America hold a fraction of the struggle of those in a majority of the other countries in our world. Many of our our homeless in America live better than those with "homes" in other lands. This doesn't mean there isn't a great need for our love and compassion right here at home.
The point is that the terms RETIREMENT, 401K, CAREER PATH, WEEKEND, VACATION, ASSORTMENT, CHOICE and DRIVEWAY don't even exist in the world of many of those we share this planet with. Running water? Electricity? Closet? 2 pairs of shoes??? these are all things that would get you an unexplainable look of confusion from the hearts of many in conditions most of us could hardly comprehend. Myself included of course... but hat is the challenge I face today...
It seems we all have a choice,... We can sit on our piles of material accumulation with entitlement, like kings in our own domain... or we can humble ourselves and become the servants we are called to be. We can allow ourselves to be a conduit of resources to those who were not born into a life of excess. A conduit of resources to those who have not been afforded the opportunity to have, or better yet, to squander much of anything.... a conduit to those who live among words I don't understand; HUNGER, THIRST, HURT, HOPELESSNESS, SLAVERY, GENOCIDE, MALNOURISHMENT or just plain STRUGGLE... All which rise out of POVERTY, another word I can't really comprehend. But I am trying.
I personally have a long way to go. But I am now forced to live with this new challenge and conviction...
That Heaven on Earth is not coming any closer through my stockpiles of meticulously collected objects and storehouses of carefully guarded liesure time. I hope as a community and a family under God you will all encourage me to remember that becoming great isn't about what I can GET out of this world but what I can ADD through the work our Lord can and will do through us. Many of you have already encouraged me through your great response to our preparations for the trip to Uganda. We loosened our grips on much of the stuff that cluttered our lives to help those who have greater need through that Monstrous Garage Sale and selfless contributions!
We look forward to where God is leading us through these revelations of His will above our own. We are praying about where He will lead us next. But until then we already know what He has asked us to do....
"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45
