Getting up off the Floor… or, I'm older now and getting back up isn't as easy as it used to be

So, last I left you, I had fallen and couldn't get up.  Let me tell you, as I get older, getting back up off the floor isn't as easy as it used to be.  You see, I'm a little more stiff (more set in my ways), I've developed some squeaky joints (bad habits) that don't easily go away.  I am going to have to start moving in  a new and different way to work out the stiffness and joint creaks.

Which brings me to the question of what is this new way of moving?  What does it look like?  What do I need to do?  One of my first clues was found in a scripture I read while yet again reading a book by Jen Hatmaker, and here it is:

"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible."  1 Corinthians 9:19  NIV

I really like how the Message states this verse:

"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized--whoever.  I didn't take on their way of life.  I kept my bearings in Christ -- but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view.  I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God saved life.  I did all this because of the Message.  I didn't just want to talk about it: I wanted to be in on it."  1 Corinthians 9:19-23

You see, what I am being called to is the ultimate servanthood.  It is easy to give a little money to a cause (which I will still do).  But if that is all you do, it allows you to remain somewhat distanced from the issue. It allows you to keep your hands clean, so to speak.  To not really delve into the mud and muck that is contained in real human problems. It, dare I say it, assuages our guilt, lets us off the hook, so to speak.  We can walk away feeling like we did something about the problem without getting too involved.  Now, don't get me wrong here, I will still give money to certain charities and organizations because I'm one person and I can't do it all.  But I am not going to stop there.

This sounds simple.  And in a way it is simple.  But it requires some sacrifice.  It requires time.  It requires humility.  It requires me to really, truly listen to people--even if I do not agree with their viewpoint, lifestyle, or decisions.  It requires me to be bold enough to care and love on people, regardless of what others may think about me or them. You see, I think some of the very people we shun as a church in general, are the very people that Jesus would have dined with.  It requires me to acknowledge and recognize my own great need for God's salvation in my life and to recognize that everyone starts out that way.  Everyone.  My own sin is no better than anyone else's.  It still required a great sacrifice.  I am learning to turn loose of judgement and instead cling to love.  Although I have always been more than willing to "help" those around me out, I'm not sure I have always been willing to truly serve them.  It's such a small shift in my thinking.  But it's also a huge one. And I am here to tell you, that it isn't always easy.

This is a messy process.  I'm starting to hear about people's struggles and issues-- and believe me, it's hard to listen to sometimes.  There are many times I have to repeat the phrase "God loves them so I love them" over and over and over again in my head.  It's about forgiveness. It's about extending mercy and grace. It's about seeing them as God sees them, not how I see them. It's about redemption. There are times I wish I didn't know what I now know. It's a little bit scary sometimes, to put myself out there, not knowing what the response will be. There are many times that I feel so inadequate-- I'm not sure what to say, or do.  Sometimes the only phrase I can say is "I love you and God loves you."  And I'll be honest with you, that phrase sometimes just feels like it's not enough.  But here's the good thing.  I don't have to be enough.  I am not meant to fill the void, God is.  In every situation, God is enough.  I have to trust that truth.

 It's about being intentional, looking for ways and opportunities to serve those around me.   Like when I'm waiting in a forever line at the grocery store, watching the cashier ringing out the person in front of me, and noticing that there is no sacker in sight.  I could stand there and be impatient, or I could help.  I could walk around to the end and start sacking someone else's groceries for them--pleasantly and without impatience.  It's little things like that.  I do not have to stand there and loudly proclaim that I am a God follower.  I do not have to wear my Jesus saves t-shirt .  I simply have to do something that quietly shows someone that God loves them.  In this day and age of everyone looking out after number one, you would be surprised how far a small, humble act of servanthood goes.  It is so rare, that people stand up and take notice.

"It's about building bridges with those who won't come to (church) on Sunday, not as a project, but because Jesus loves them and told us to."   Jen Hatmaker

"The spirit of mission means that we serve our neighbors long before they are brothers or sisters in Christ.  Putting their needs first, we sacrifice to love them.  We act on their behalf, not with condescension as the Christian who has all the answers, but as their friend."  Jen Hatmaker

"What if we really loved our neighbors and offered a safe place for community in our home, showing them church rather than just inviting them to one?"  Jen Hatmaker

The question is, do I really love people? Really?  Then I have to show it-- to everyone.  Even when it's hard to do.  Especially if it's hard to do.  And sometimes, it's really, really hard. And don't get me wrong-- I have not mastered the art of this yet.  I am not the Jedi Master who has somehow ascended in wisdom and knowledge above all, who never makes a mistake.  Far from it.  I make lots of mistakes.  Lots.  I  am a mistake making machine.  A prime example what not to do.  But I am trying.  I have decided that my house will be a safe place for people.  They are welcome to join us for dinners, and fun, and yes, sometimes hard discussions. You will find a big mix of people at my house at any point in time, from a local dinner and wine group, to a plethora of teenagers, to a mix of  Christian and non Christians friends all gathered at a pool party.  I will be real with people, not trying to portray perfection, because perfection doesn't exist in the real world.  I  will celebrate with, pray with, and weep with those who I come into contact with. I will do my best to share God's grace, mercy, and love with everyone I meet.  To introduce them to what God's love really means.   Because God loves them and I love them.

I'll leave you with another quote by, you guessed it, Jen Hatmaker.

"May intentional servanthood be the basis of all mission, all benevolence, all evangelism, all sacrifice.  I dream of a church that is once again called great, even by our skeptics, because our works of mercy cannot be denied."

Remember that you are always loved by God, no matter what.  You can't outrun His love for you.  There is no where you can go that God's love doesn't shine down on you.  Even if you don't feel it.  Even when you don't see it.  It's there, in silent, but persistent,  pursuit of you.  Because He thinks you are worthy of pursuit.

I'll leave you with a few photos of the La Seu cathedral in Barcelona.  Enjoy.