If I could give a bit of information to someone who is about to embark on a ministry journey, it would be this: Sometimes it’s really ugly. I don’t mean the kind of ugly where you are wearing 7 different colors that are stained a light shade of brown because most everything you own is dirty and you haven’t had time to wash it. I’m talking about the story behind the pictures you dream about. The picture of the ethnic babies’ hands in yours, the dreamy sunsets and colorful food. There are always two sides to a story and the second side is the one that doesn’t often get shared.
Let’s take a look at the cute ethnic baby picture- walking hand in hand down the road. You can all think of a picture like this. So you’re probably thinking, “that is so cute to show love” or “they probably loved being able to experience this moment.” That in itself is not false but there’s more to it. What you don’t see is that those little hands are wet from who knows what (pee, slobber, porridge) and caked in some kind of brown substance you wish not to think of. You don’t get to experience the smell of the trash pile burning as you walk by or the smell of clothes that have been unwashed and re-worn for days. And you also don’t get to experience the heat that makes everything a little more extreme. This is the true story behind the pictures. It is not some romantic moment where you can tangibly see the difference you are making. A lot of times the Lord will place you in a situation where only He has purpose; that means you have to do everything in your power to be present, to touch unknown and to humble yourself so that you may be used to show His love.
It’s not an easy thing but this is what Jesus did. If you think of the people He hung out with, they weren’t clean or healthy. He didn’t shy away either. He wanted those of us who are broken, hungry and dirty. It’s easy to say, “Wow He’s awesome and I totally would do the same thing.” But would you? Would you walk through the slums gathering the unloved, shamed, unclean and extremely high boys and take them to a house where you can bandage physical wounds and feed them? In theory, it sounds awesome- almost perfect. I get to see benefits and show love just by being myself. And yes, it is awesome. But the other side of that is the fact that these young men are supposed to be laughing and playing; but instead they are addicted to sniffing gas and fighting each other. They have no hope of a future and were ultimately unwanted by a mom and dad. These are real people with extremely hard stories. Stories that seem unreal because of how far they are from our perception of reality.
What do you do in those moments when you walk by while men stare and throw money at you in hopes of buying you for a night? The world is broken and not the pretty kind either. During ministry you encounter some ugly things. There is so much purpose in that though. The Lord’s ways of winning back His children and establishing His Kingdom is so far above me. Who am I to try and find purpose in what He has me doing in this exact moment? We are called to mirror Christ and to love with everything we’ve got. And that will get ugly, in the best way possible.
