“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, he Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:26-27
As I’ve been reading the Bible on this trip, I’ve been trying to move from a mindset of it being merely stories and theory, to the convicting truth that it gives us specifics on how to live. In the past, I know I have done a poor job of visiting orphans, prisoners, and widows, and a poor job of selling all that I have and distributing it to the poor. Instead of following this call on my life, I make excuses. Excuses that I don’t have the time or the money. Excuses that I can’t sell all of my possessions because I need them to function. Excuses that Jesus was talking to some other subset of people.
Surely he wasn’t telling me to go to orphans and widows.
Surely he wasn’t telling me to sell all that I have and distribute it to the poor.
No, no. Jesus must have been talking to some other Christians.
In the past when I have read scriptures such as these-scriptures clearly telling us how to treat the disadvantaged in our society-I have said, “Ok God, I hear you, but…” and find one more excuse for my selfishness and my laziness.
One of the beautiful things about the race is that it gives you an opportunity to live out the gospel with fewer constraints and distractions than what present themselves in day to day life back home. Even so (yes, I am a talented young woman), I manage to make excuses. Whether it is that I don’t have enough money to feed the street children, or that feeding them one meal won’t solve the greater issue, or that I am confined to doing the ministry set forth by our contact for the month and can do no more; even abroad I manage to find a plethora of excuses to choose from.
But by His grace, time and time again on this trip, God has been freeing my mind of those patterns of thinking. With each excuse Jesus whispers once more, “Heidi, do you love me? Tend my sheep. Heidi, do you love me? Feed my sheep.” And rather than listening to the lies of the enemy, Jesus reminds me of the value in stopping to have a conversation with someone, even if I’ll never see them again. He reminds me of the value of feeding even one street child for one meal, even if they will be hungry again in a few hours. He reminds me of the value of turning off my computer to go spend time with the family we are living with. He reminds me that my life is so much more than my own comfort, than my own selfish will, and that there is greater purpose in every breath than what I give Him credit for.
This month we have been convicted as individuals and as a team to do more. Our friends, family, and churches have been convicted to do more, and to give so that others thousands of miles away can be blessed. From buying paint for classroom doors, to cement to make a kitchen floor, to providing supplies for classrooms who have unimaginably little, to feeding 200 hungry mouths, to paying outstanding hospital fees, to putting shoes on street children’s feet, we have striven to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the most literal way possible. And each time we feel called, Jesus provides what we need to do His will, and we find ourselves convicted and desiring to do more of the Father’s will.
I write this not to exalt myself, my team, or those who have given, but to encourage you to do the same-to bless others, to give out of your substance rather than your excess, and to find yourselves blessed more abundantly than you can imagine in return.
There are so many people living in darkness in the U.S. So many hopeless and lonely sons and daughters who need the light and the love of Christ. There are so many lost souls who need more than to be preached at, but to be heard, valued, and loved as well. You don’t need to travel thousands of miles to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but can be the light that casts out the darkness in your own communities. Be encouraged, knowing that every smile you give to a stranger, every visit you give to the lonely, every hungry mouth you feed, no matter how small it may seem in your heart, is pleasing to our Father in Heaven.
Live your lives so that when you finish the race and meet Jesus face to face, you will hear him say to you, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
