My feet blacken as they tread along the cold tile floors of the hostel. I open the door of the pantry, and a few cockroaches scurry out of sight as I reach for the banana they were nibbling on. Maybe I can find solace from the filth around me if I can escape to the room that I share with nine others. Not here either, I realize when the skunky stench of weed floats up from the patio below. I got what I paid for, I suppose.
Veronica shared my disposition regarding this hostel. It’s the worst she has stayed in yet on her year long journey. The first night she arrived, she didn’t want to stay in her room because she couldn’t stand the grime of her sheets. She came down the stairs and met ten people from the United States scattered all over the hostel speaking to everyone that crossed her path. One of us noticed her and invited her into a conversation. Soon, we created a mock-sitcom while we sipped wine shared by another visitor in the kitchen. I think we have enough material for a whole season.
“You guys are special,” she said as we sat over our last breakfast together. “Everyone who has come in here since you have arrived has talked about you. You go up to people and start a deep conversation. Most people in hostels just sit alone and watch Netflix.”
That’s Jesus. I would honestly love to sit and binge watch an entire series on Netflix. Mostly because I can actually stream using the WiFi at the hostel and I have no idea when I will have good WiFi again. However, I know that this is not what the Lord has called me to do here. He has called me to live as I naturally do with the sojourners and vagabonds. Pastor John Mark Comer from Bridgetown Church says, ”As we follow Jesus over a lifetime, the end goal is to grow and mature into the kind of people who naturally do Jesus-ey things without even thinking about it much less thinking much of it.” This is a part of the journey the Lord has taken me on during the Race and He wanted me to live this out with a bunch of strangers.
We teach our kids in Sunday school to “Let it shine,” not for our own glory, but because we know that we are ambassadors for Christ. When we put on a sash that says, “I AM A CHRISTIAN,” we have a huge responsibility to show the world who Jesus is. Everyone is watching to see how we act and react to those around us.
Many people in this hostel alone have spoken about the pain they have felt because of the Church. I have seen walls shoot up in people’s eyes because I have stated that I am a Christian. They believe I will judge them and condemn them to Hell as if I actually have those responsibilities. 1) I don’t and 2) my role is simply to bring truth.
This doesn’t mean I won’t offend or hurt people. The Lord guides me through painful moments and reveals hard truth in order to refine me. However, I do not have to shame or ostracize the people the Lord desperately wants to come to His side. I just have to be sensitive to the Spirit and show the characteristics of Jesus that reside within me.
Veronica noticed my team was different because of the Spirit within us. My team and I may have not been able to welcome her or anyone else at the hostel into the fold, but I do know that they were in the least looking directly into the heart of Jesus these past few days.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5: 14-16
