Fly Home at Any Moment

” In Jesus Christ, God is revealed to us as a God Of Compassion. This divine Compassion is God being with us as a suffering servant. God is with us, feeling with us, deeply and tenderly. Our human pain reverberates in God’s innermost self. God even goes so far as to give up the privileged position of his divine power and to appear in our midst as a humble servant who offers to wash our wounded and tired feet.

But this is not the whole story of God’s compassion. There is an element which we need to explore in depth in order to gain yet another glimpse of the mystery of God’s infinite love for us. In Jesus Christ, God’s compassion is not made manifest simply by becoming a suffering servant, but by becoming a suffering servant in obedience. Obedience gives servanthood its deepest dimension.

Often we experience a strong desire to offer our services to our fellow human beings in need. At times we even dream about giving our lives to the poor and living in solidarity with those who suffer. Sometimes these dreams lead to generous actions of good and  worthwhile projects or to weeks, months and even years of dedicated work. But the initiative still remains ours. We decide when we go and when we return; we decide what to do and how to do it; we control the level and intensity of our servanthood. Although much good work gets done in these situations, there is always the creeping danger that even our servanthood is a subtle form of manipulation. Are we really servants when we can become masters again once we think we have done our part or made our contribution? Are we really servants when we can say when, where, and how long we will give of our time and energy? Is service in a far country really an expression of servanthood when we keep enough money in the bank to fly home at any moment?

Jesus came to the far country because he was sent. Being sent remained uppermost in his consciousness. He never claimed anything for himself. Jesus was the obedient servant who said and did nothing, unless it was said and done in complete obedience to the one who sent him.”

                  -Henri Nouwen from his book Compassion (Read It!)

Right before I read this I was walking  down a hot dirt road and I thought to myself “At least I don’t live here I can leave in three weeks”, but what if God called me here, how would I feel then about this really hot place. That is the temptation I face, to keep this trip to just an amazing experience and a year of  good works, or I can learn to walk as Jesus did in obedience and compassion. I know that is my desire, please be praying for me as I learn how to walk in true surrender to my Lord. 

Walking in the Bush in Uganda we had four little boys as our guides