“One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls.” – Jack Kerouac
This statement made by one of my favorite authors still to this day reminds me of a certain truth I believe is overlooked, forgotten about, and not seen enough of. Growing up going to church every Sunday, checking the box for the week, and then going on with the rest of my week was a routine as a kid. I mean don’t get mean wrong, I loved the routine of my family setting a whole day out of the week to spend time together. I miss that the most, and now being twenty-one I realize how special those moments were. However being young and naïve, I didn’t grasp what church was mainly about. I heard many sermons, I heard many teachings, I heard stories of pain and redemption, blindness to sight, death to life, in one name: Jesus. However I found it hard to apply to my own life as a child having little to no life experience yet. Years and years later however I do greatly appreciate what the Church is for people seeking Jesus. I do greatly appreciate the importance of the temple and the building, but for many of us I believe we must experience the wilderness to have a real authentic relationship with our Savior. The importance of realizing that Church is a building, not the place we are called to live out the work and calling God has placed upon our lives. And so what is the biggest calling in my life? Love and kindness. To everyone I meet in the wilderness outside of those church walls, outside of the walls within my heart, the barriers I’ve put up between myself and others. I think many followers of Christ overlook this truth – that we are individually called to love and be kind to all of those who are outside of the Church and outside our own religion and beliefs. That Republican and Democrat? You bet. That refugee who has lost everything and looking for a safe place? You bet. That person who wakes you up at 7 am because they are getting an early start on the grass every Saturday morning? You bet. That person who hurt you, lied to you, stole from you, wronged you, and persecuted you? Even better. When we love in such a way of holding nothing back it gives only glory to our Father in heaven. For such a light is not seen on this earth, for such a joy is not produced from ourselves alone, rather from his overflowing love and peace He gives us by acknowledging His presence in all our actions and in everyone we encounter and know. Do we need a temple to live this out? Not at all. Do we need a priest to pray to God for us? Not at all. However I still recognize the beauty and the power of a temple, and the healing work that is being done across the world inside the Church.
Practicing kindness in the wilderness, is letting our hearts overflow with love not just on Sunday, or when we gather with fellow believers, but letting Jesus be our cornerstone for our strength and endurance every single day and in every situation. When I’m alone with my thoughts, He is there. When I’m backpacking through the mountains, He is there. When I’m at work, under pressure, He is there. When the world gives up, He endures and pushes us further, with love as our armor. This is a call for all of us who call ourselves followers of Christ to go out into the vast wilderness of this world and simply be kind. Be love itself, be surrendered, compassionate, and never expecting an ounce of what we give to come back. For if we live this way in the wilderness, the wilderness becomes the Church. The wilderness truly shines when we practice kindness because we bring people to Him. It’s not us taking what church offers every Sunday for ourselves and doing. It’s not us going home after service and being complacent and quite in our faith, NO! It’s dancing in the street, it’s praying constantly for those around us, it’s worshipping God in all we do. It’s joy, it’s compassion, it’s loving each other radically and without restraint. It’s doing what makes us happy- Jesus is a doorway to freedom, why do we not live like we are free! Why do we hold back our hearts and our desires to have fun and be truly alive! My hope with the World Race is that no matter where I am in the world, I can burn my love bright to give Jesus glory. That no matter how rugged the wilderness or path seems; I know there is a peace and a love that can make any dark place a temple. We carry the temple with us. It is not a building; it is a love from a heavenly Father that never fails and never will. It is a heart that no matter what is dealt to it, endures, and remembers most of all it deserves to be joyful, happy, strong, and above all set free in the arms of love. Jesus freed us from the constraints of the temple, or of the laws of the religion we subscribed to. He is the way. Love is the way. This wisdom from God is hard to explain in my words. It is found in faith and the heart, and this love can turn any wilderness into a beautiful place.
