I took these pictures in Xia Xia, Mozambique in 2006. They are pictures that define beauty but also haunt me at times. I've been struggling lately with the idea of Christians claiming to be Christians, but not caring for those that Christ showed an obvious burden for. I'm aware that this is a very sensitive subject that many authors have written about - and this blog post immediately becomes more dramatic due to the fact that I work at a church! However, I cannot claim that we (the typical, casual Christians) have it figured out. You can see from the scripture at the bottom that God's heart seems to beat in a special rhythm for those in need: orphans, widows, the poor, the hungry, the least of these, the brokenhearted and the crushed. So, let me ask the difficult questions:
Have you ever held an orphan? Have you spent time with the fatherless? Have you hugged and kissed a child that never receives attention or affection? (on a side note, an author and friend of mine, Tom Davis, showed me that if 7% of the "professing" Christians in the world adopted one child, there would be no orphans left...)
Have you spent time with a widow? Have you allowed a widowed-woman to sit and talk with you. Odds are, she's extremely lonely. Inside, she's most likely desperate for someone to sit for a while - to make her a priority.
Do you make time to tend to the needs of the poor or the homeless? Do you have a guest room in your home that remains empty? Why not fill it with someone who sleeps under cardboard? And let me assure you, having 3 friends who live at the homeless shelter in OKC, there are homeless and poor people around us...everywhere.
Do you notice those around you that are running low on joy, hope or confidence? Is your attention on those that look and act like you, or do you notice those that don't want to live another day... the broken and crushed? More than that - do you offer joy, hope and love to them, or simply walk by?
I should clarify that writing a check to United Way or Salvation Army is not living according to scripture (although I love their organizations and mission statements). Simply enabling others to be the hands and feet of Christ robs you of fulfilling YOUR purpose! Matthew 25:35-36, "For I was hungry and YOU gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and YOU gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and YOU invited me in, I needed clothes and YOU clothed me, I was sick and YOU looked after me, I was in prison and YOU came to visit me."
Many times people say that your planner and checkbook reveal your priorities. Do your priorities align with the Father's priorities?
Another tough one to chew on - how many lost people do you spend time with each week? If someone went through your cell phone, how many people in your contact's list don't know the Lord?
These are all questions that I'm trying to figure out in my own life - by no means do I have it figured out! I simply hope to open your eyes to the thoughts I'm pondering! But, Lord, still we beg you to stir within our hearts the desire to love those that you love and share the burdens you have.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9
"I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Matthew 25:45
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
