I walk down dusty dirt streets while the sound of Indian music echoes throughout the village. Chickens feast on anything they can find as cows and buffalo graze on the grass that has been fetched for them earlier that day; the moon illuminates the sky as I continue walking. Within minutes, dozens of barefoot children are surrounding me; it doesn't take long for their curiosity to turn into comfort, as I make crazy faces at them, go in for a hug, and shake their innocent little hands. Their sun-kissed faces are brightened with the smile of their white-washed teeth; their wide-eyes look back and forth, up and down as a result of seeing someone so different for the first time. This is the first time they are seeing Americans and for many, this is the first time they have ever encountered a person with skin a little less darker than their own.
The feeling I have during these moments is incredible. The feeling I have during this part of my day is humbling. You see, although they see an American or a person with different colored skin than their own, they are also having the capability of seeing Jesus, just in the slightest glimpse. That is how God works. He sends us out each day, whether that is in the comfort of the USA or in the slums of a third world country; he sends us out in order to represent who he is and how he loves and I am more than honored to know that I have the ability to not only do that, but to truly acknowledge it every single day.
I have come to the realization that we as believers get so caught up in the rift raft of life that we forget what our divine purpose is and that is to love God and love others. If we are incapable of doing this, then the roads we travel on become pointless. No matter where you are in the world; if you are in the boonies of Texas, the capital of China, or the slums of any of the numerous third world countries, I would encourage you to not just understand but to truly acknowledge that you are walking and being seen as someone for the first time, and hopefully that person that you are giving a great representation for, is Jesus. You might be the only Jesus that the little boy in the government funded apartments in Detroit ever sees. You might be the only Jesus that the teenage girl painting henna on your arm in Hyderabad, India ever touches. You might be the only Jesus that your colleague who cries in the bathroom stall during lunch break, ever opens up to. It is not just a choice, it is a purpose that you have; that we all have. If you are searching for something great to do with your life, if you are trying to find something better, begin to paint a picture of how your life could be different and how your own life could impact others, if you simply began to look a little more like Jesus. This year, I am not just an American. I am not just a girl with lighter colored skin than the majority of the people I spend my time with. This year, I am a woman who is representing Jesus. I am bringing him with me to the streets of India and I will be bringing him to wherever I end up at the end of this chapter of my life. I hope that I see him a little more in the faces that I come to meet and know. I hope to see him in you.
