The words God gave our pastor changed my life as he shared his thoughts on The Parable of the Lost Sheep.
“I wish I knew why the sheep got lost. Did he walk away on his own? Did he walk away on purpose? Does he deserve to be lost? The thing is, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter to Jesus why the sheep is lost, all that matters to Jesus is that the sheep is lost. Because to Him every single soul, every single person, every single identity and image is important and precious to Him. And He loves every single individual.”
Over the past couple years I have continued to observe the attacks Satan is placing on the identity and intrinsic value of people all over the world. Whether it be through race, religion or sex, the signs are evident as we see the loss of purpose and self-worth continue to grow. From teen suicides, to mass shootings and from driving cars through crowds or placing package bombs on door steps. While most focus on the means by which these horrendous things happened, I see people deprived of identity and love. People who no longer see the intrinsic value in themselves or those around them. I see world full of brothers and sisters, begging to be loved, to feel that their existence is not by accident.
My pastor continued with these powerful words.
“If your life had no meaning, had no value, had no purpose, had no worth, God a long time ago would have busted out the cookie cutter and saved himself some time, but that’s not how our God rolls. You see our God remembers sewing your specific fingerprint into your fingertips. He remembers forging and forming your voice box and your vocal cords to make only the sound that you can create. He remembers mixing together your DNA that is completely unlike any of the billions upon billions upon billions of other people that have walked this earth.” We have been uniquely, specifically, individually created by God! Not because He could but because He desired to! We are not just an evolution of a single cell, rather, we are created with purpose in His image. We are His sons, His daughters, His masterpieces, His prized possessions and He is not willing to just let us walk away.
I believe God is calling me to love Him and others above all else. I know that I am not a scholar of the bible. However I believe that when my heart is after God’s own he will open doors and give me the words to speak to change lives. I know that God’s love is free and endless, it can break down barriers and walls. His love can soften hearts and break chains. It is God’s love that is so desperately needed in our nations and communities if we desire to see meaningful change.
My prayer in following God’s tug on my heart to pursue the world race is that he would instill a boldness and courage in my faith. I believe the toughest mission field, in some cases, can be our own communities. Whether it be talking with friends, families or coworkers, the illusion of perfection that we have created in our western culture can often create the delusion that we no longer need God.
I hope that you will join me in my journey to share God’s love with others!
-Jake
