In a senior capstone course for art students we had to give four presentations on influences to our artwork. While this was difficult for some of the students, my list was incredibly long. My speeches included everything from captain planet to Zana Briski. Yet, one of the greatest lessons I learned from those presentations was that the people who most inspired me could not be researched in the encyclopedia or in the 21st century version, Wikipedia. Those who inspired me the most were friends and family (including some children in China who I have self proclaimed to be siblings).
So here is a highlight on two of those friends:
I have these two friends who I would say are the greatest influence (other than Christ himself) in my missional walk these days. It didn’t take me long to notice a characteristic that they share. See, they are both working through Christ for purposes that truly could not be fathomed outside of our incredible God. When they begin to talk about their ministries they are not intimidated, they are not worried about finances, they are not drowning in sorrow over the current circumstances. Rather, they are filled with. Now to understand how amazing this is to me, and you will likely be just as amazed soon, I have to tell you what they are working to do.
One has a passion to end sex trafficking. I don’t mean to stop put a band-aide over one city, but rather to truly believe in the power of Christ to stand up and put an end to this injustice, and use him as a vessel. ( When the saints )
The other is working to end world hunger. Yes, to end it. Once again, this is not the send some foreign ‘aid’ food overseas, but rather using a sustainable approach that will involve the whole world. ( Where Hunger Ends)
Now are you as amazed as I?
Well here’s the thing, if either one of them reads this they will deny their work in the situation. They will likely even subdue what I have said above, but I can assure you that this is what they tell me when the conversation starts out about the simple day-today and escalates to them joyfully laughing at the ministry God is doing to truly fight these injustices!
So, here is goes. Learning to “live like that”. Learning to take my self-doubts and my selfish ambitions for this opportunity with the world race, and every journey before and after, and put them aside. To daily learn to humble myself to the extenet that I am only amazed by the work and possibilities of God, and only ashamed by my lack of taking hold of his grace/love/power and sharing Him with the world.
