The last week and a half of ministry has been ‘sweet as’ (this is my favorite phrase in New Zealand.) We’ve gotten to wash lots of windows, mow lawns, wash cars, dig gardens, weed flower beds, wash houses…anything that can be done at someone’s house really. We’re doing all of this in hopes that the families will experience God’s love in a tangible way. We’re not hitting them over the head with the Bible, we’re coming with brushes, rags, a mower, and willing hands. We’re shining light into the darkness.
While we do all of this, our objective is not to see how many houses we can get to in one day. It’s been interesting for us to learn to slow down and not focus on the tasks at hand. What I’ve really learned at this point is that it’s not about how much you get done, but how much you invest in the lives of the people you are serving. At each one of the homes we’ve spent time. Sometimes it means playing with kids. Other times we sit and listen to a grandma talk about the burden she has for her family to know Jesus. Or maybe we just smile and let them know that we’ve traveled around the world to love them like Jesus.
I’ve been really struggling with how to put my feelings in to one cohesive thought, and finally today our ministry contact, Brendan, said it beautifully. We are not here to get to every house in Lower Hutt, we’re here to “walk slowly through the crowd.” As we walk slowly, we are able to see the needs that exist in each family’s life. We are able to slow down and pray for God to do amazing things. We are able to listen and love more effectively for each family. More than anything, we’re able to be a blessing. Instead of glazing past 100 people, we are changing forever the lives of 50. It’s more about the quality of the relationship than the quantity of houses we get to. We’re here to LOVE.
From here on out I pray that I don’t lose sight of what it means to walk slowly through the crowd. I pray also that you can find what that means in your life.
