‘You are not going there trying to change people are you?’
The question, like a sharp dagger, stabbed into my excitement … left me bleeding just a bit….. spilling out the people pleasing river in my heart.
I was not ready for that one! I was sharing all the amazing things the Lord does on the World Race, and all the ways He could touch and transform lives…. When smack, there it came.
My gut reaction was a worldly and embarrassed, ‘NO’. It sprung out as an answer to the question as I think it was intended by the asker…. As if to say, “I’m not trying to change them because I respect their religion and their choices and it’s wrong to force your beliefs on others”.
Then, the ‘NO’ quickly and uncomfortably circled around to another kind of “NO”.
No, I cannot change anyone, nor will I try (its not me who changes, but the Lord). And No, I will not impose anything on anyone. But…. No, I will not see the lost and hurting, the abandoned and down trodden and tell them that things are fine the way they are. No I will not ‘respect‘ the religion that tells them they are not good enough to get into heaven because they have done something unforgivable and been cast out into the streets. No I will not ‘respect‘ the religion that tells them they have to spend their whole life working and toiling and trying to attain some possibility of getting to heaven only to find out all their works lead instead to death. No I will not ‘respect‘ the religion that tells young girls they have not value and are a curse to their family. No Nor ‘respect‘ the religion that says that as long as you are a good person, that’s all you need, or that as long as you were baptized as a baby, you will make it to heaven no questions asked, nor the religion that says you have to speak in tongues or attend church service 3x per week to be acceptable to God.
No I am not trying to change people, only to invite them to the transforming love of Jesus! The love the breaks through circumstance andovercomes sin. The love that heals and restores and breaths new life.
The love that Changes Everything!!!
The people pleaser in me cringes at the thought that as I tell about The World Race, some will not approve. But the love of God in me rises up to take a stand. To stand for love, and value, and hope. To stand for a future, for truth, for forgiveness.
Not everyone will be ‘on board’ with the Mission of what I will be doing on The World Race. This is not a social experiment where I observe, but don’t interact. Nor is it a news article where I gather the facts and go home. Nor is it a vacation where I take in all the pretty sights. Its not even a Global peace initiative where I bring supplies and meet physical needs and leave. It is a response to the Gospel and the command of Jesus to go into all the world and bring the good news! To make disciples and proclaim freedom to the captives.
I feel like I could write on for pages, but I will try and keep this short. If you have any questions, or want to know about this Love the Changes Everything, please let me know!! I would love to talk more about what kind change I hope to bring to the World…. A change that does not come from me, but from the one who sent me.
Please pray for me as I share about what God is doing. Pray that I would always be ready to give a reason for the hope that I have, that the Holy Spirit would take over and give words of life to the person asking the hard questions, and that even the fundraising process would be an opportunity to stand for truth and minister the deep love Jesus has for the person I am talking with.
Pray too that I would never allow fundraising to be an opportunity for compromise, or a place where I shrink away from difficult questions. Pray that the boldness of the Holy Spirit would roll like fire through my veins, robed in pure love and kindness.
I pray these things for you: that you would know the transforming power of the Love of your savior; the One who pursues you passionately with unwavering affection, offering complete forgiveness and overwhelming joy. I pray that you too would be bold! Willing to stand up for truth and not afraid of those who don’t understand, but rather, ready to love them well so they can see a small glimpse of Abba’s love for them.
All this…. Its all for LOVE!
