Dear Home,
Today you broke my heart. We were sitting in small groups having an intercession prayer. We were praying for the community, and for the people in leadership, and for each other. It was while I was praying for this town that I noticed something: over the past 3 months I have prayed for lots of towns. One of the big things I often pray for is a shift of culture and atmosphere. However, I realized that I haven’t prayed this same prayer for my own home in months (maybe longer)!
As I thought deeper about Santa Cruz, LA, California, and the States as a whole it quickly broke my heart.
I love my home, I love the United States, and I love the Monterey Bay. I was flooded by the question, what are we doing for our own homes? As I contrasted some of the cultures that I have been in to the culture of much of the States my heart broke again. Most of the things that make me cringe in some of these places has been happening all around me my whole life, and I’ve just accepted it as the way it is. Alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, a lazy mindset, absent fathers, these among other things all started flooding my mind.
Let me preface this next statement by saying, I’m not someone who cries. I think the last time I did was probably at launch in January, and before that I have no clue. It isn’t a regular occurrence. That said, I didn’t just cry, I bawled. This whole time praying to God for a change in the culture and in the atmosphere of Santa Cruz. I was also a little relieved that only two other people were seeing me sob like this. Now typing this for all to read I don’t really care who knows.
I love my home, and even though for the next 7 months I won’t be there, I will be praying. I am also issuing a challenge. This is one that is not to be taken lightly. Don’t get to caught up in work, and daily life that you forget that you are on the mission field too! Your mission field is right where you are! That doesn’t mean that you need to enter into every conversation with the plan to change them or convert them. That is probably one of the worst things you can do.
Rather, enter into every conversation with the attitude of Christ, and with the plan to truly love this person! Read 1st Corinthians 13. Make that your mission. To love others like Jesus. One of our biggest problems to overcome as the church in America (as I see it) is the misconception that Christians hate non-Christians and we just judge others. That needs to (1) stop where it is happening, and (2) that misconception needs to be drowned by the love that we share.
We need to surrender our hearts to Jesus to such a degree that his love bursts out of us and overflows. Then when we meet nonbelievers and they feel this love the only thing they see is that love. To be clear, sin is sin and it leads to death. It is wrong, and we are ALL sinners. That said, it is not our responsibility to judge others for their sin. It is our responsibility to love them. Then ONLY out of a place of love can we begin to walk with them in growing and releasing that sin to God.
Just read this… Matthew 7:1-6, and 1st Corinthians 13:1-7,12-13.
Now go on mission, and love your (literal) neighbors!
