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Comfortable.
It is a word I despise, yet one that I am all too familiar with.
Today the number of days I have left in the United States drops down to the teens. 
19 days
19 days to prepare myself spiritually, physically, emotionally.
19 days to wrap up support raising.
19 days to purchase the rest of my gear and pack.
19 days to say goodbye.
And for each day that passes, I can only think of one word:
Comfortable.
Maybe even numb.
I have been so wrapped up in the things right in front of me–friendships, relationships, getting the most out of my few days left at home. I have been grabbing at everything that fancies me, running after pursuits that numb my heart to the pain of having to leave so many loved ones behind. Instead of pursuing the things over which Christ presides, I have been shuffling along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of me. I have failed to look up and be alert to what’s going on around Christ; I have failed to see things from His perspective. 
Until today.
Today the Lord reminded me again (for the millionth time, I have to say–I’m really forgetful) of the crux of the matter, why He has placed a desire in my heart to leave the comfortable and pursue the radical.
Meet Nabakoza:
As many of you know, I am an avid reader of the blog http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. If you haven’t checked it out, you definitely should. I’m inspired by Katie’s faithfulness to pursue Christ and His work in the nations, no matter the cost (and trust me, it has cost her…read her February 11th post if you don’t believe me).
Today I read about Nabakoza, the woman shown in the picture above. She is 23 years old and weighs 37 pounds. According to Katie, in Uganda (one of the countries on our Race route, coincidentally), malnourishment is just a fact of life, and death happens every day as a result.
 I know that one person can’t change this fact, that it is a problem bigger than myself, and that (if I’m being honest) I will have little to no effect on. But I have to try.
In one of my previous blogs I have mentioned Matthew 25, but I have never fully laid out my heart on this passage before. Jesus, God incarnate, said to His disciples:
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: 

   I was hungry and you fed me, 
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, 
   I was homeless and you gave me a room, 
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes, 
   I was sick and you stopped to visit, 
   I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me-you did it to me.’

“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because- 

   I was hungry and you gave me no meal, 
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed, 
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, 
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me-you failed to do it to me.'”


If you believe that Jesus’ words are timeless, and therefore still apply to those who desire to follow Him today, then WOW. This passage…I don’t know if there are words. How many times have I used the excuse that I haven’t seen Jesus hungry or thirsty or naked, when 30,000 children will die today, and tomorrow, and the next day of malnutrition and preventable diseases? 

My comfort seems like NOTHING in light of these words. Leaving behind everyone I love is NOTHING in light of these words…In light of the command that Jesus gave His followers 2,000+ years ago and that still applies today.

God forgive me for my apathy. 

I get so tired of how people look at me sometimes after I tell them about the World Race. How I get put on a pedestal as some super-Christian, Mother Teresa wannabe who has God all figured out. And I think to myself, “man, I wish they could see the mistakes I make, the number of times I fall DAILY, and how I sometimes wish that I had never read verses like these so that I wouldn’t be held responsible.” 

But I AM responsible.

I have counted the cost, and though there are days that I really just wish I could ignore the problem and live life the way I want to, to stop being seen as a Jesus freak and held at arms-length from people who think I’m too “holy” to handle their issues, I can’t. I can’t look women like Nabakoza in the eyes and walk away. I can’t have my heart and eyes opened to the commands (not requests, mind you) Jesus gave to His followers and walk away. 

I’m not perfect.

I’m very far from it.

(But then again, God doesn’t call the perfect, does He? Just look at His disciples.)

I just can’t walk away.


Can you?