This photo is as supposed to represent the light rays that each of us are and the joy that we shine down to others.
In the last part of Matthew chapter 25, Jesus speaks of the Judgement of mankind, likening His followers to sheep and the lost to goats, saying He will separate them. The sheep will be the righteous because they fed and clothed Jesus, gave Him water, invited Him into their homes when He was a stranger to them, and looked after Him when He was sick or in prison.
Then the righteous will ask ‘when did we do these things?’ to Jesus and He answers them with verse 40:
the King will say ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Monday, I visited a private hospital here in Manzini and went to the children’s ward.
I had big plans to produce a tear-jerker of a blog, wrought with suffering and verses about healing the sick, but God is taking me in another direction.
The phrase ‘whatever you did’ holds volumes of meaning and has taken on new life. Yesterday, a group of us walked into a big room with big eyes and big fears. We looked upon dozens of children separated by little partitions or benches, and infants lumped in groups on shared tables.
It was not a scene for the faint of heart, but we could tell that hope resided there also.
Some of us – myself included – had never been in a place like this before and were totally dependent on God to guide us.
I confess that it’s hard to go into a room where mothers are shoulder-to-shoulder holding very sick babies and try to decide who to talk to first without looking like we are nothing more than rich, white Americans patronizing them with our insincere efforts and fleeting comforts.
But, thanks to God’s love, we were truly broken. We came away with a genuine desire for people we’ve never met because everyone is a child of God and a brother or sister.
We shared the heart of God – a heart of compassion, care and mercy.
When one of us was led to a crib, we went to offer a specific piece of God’s heart in a very specific way.
The words ‘whatever you did’ became very real to me.
Although it seemed like I spent so little time just touching the cheek of an infant because it made her smile, and so much time just talking to an uncle about the climate and culture of Swaziland, the truth is that in my obedience to God I was able to do just the right ‘whatever’ to everyone I met.
My teammates and I didn’t have to go and see or do dramatic healing; instead, we had to serve whatever purpose God had for us on that day.
For a baby girl, it was a few smiles and some brightly colored stickers.
For an uncle and follower of Christ, it was a new friend to chat with for a few minutes.
For a 13-year-old boy, most likely dying of AIDS (in a room by himself because of some other contagious condition with sores covering his head and torso), it was merely a touch.
It was a giggle to the infant because Jesus is the only one with whom she can talk right now; we can’t pray
with her, but we did pray
for her.
It was a chat to the uncle because simply talking about the weather with a fellow believer from half a world away was just the right amount of ‘whatever’ for him. He shared how thankful he was to have God’s hand on healing his niece from pneumonia, allowing him to joyfully take his family home that afternoon.
The teenage boy had no mother or father (both had died of AIDS) to sit with him, talk to him, or bring him toys.
He certainly had no one to
touch him in love.
So that’s all we did.
We just stroked him.
A touch was all God had assigned to us in that particular case.
It was a simple, but mighty ‘whatever’ for one of the least.
We did it because He is the greatest.
The prevailing joy of this experience is the realization that
everyone in every country has within them the capacity, and softness of heart, to do a million kinds of ‘whatever’ each day.
Jesus didn’t say that your service had to be glamorous or ugly, in front of thousands, or in a place with no running water.
He said that
whatever service you give to the least of these is service to the greatest.
The “least of these” are innumerable and so are God’s mercies and graces.
If you do something… anything… any
whatever service to truly bless someone out of the genuine love in your heart, you will also find that God is blessing you… and
you are blessing God.
