All Hands on Deck

While I was back in the States I heard from multiple people how much they admire my cross-culture work.  A few people said that “I could never do that.”  While I have been called to live overseas and serve a particular group of disadvantaged people, that does not mean that I am better than anyone else.  My calling looks different than yours, but that is the point! There are over 1.7 billion people on the planet. Imagine how boring life would be if everyone was the same.  He uniquely created each individual on planet earth.  We were created differently and that diversity is amazing.

He created me with a certain set of skills, abilities, and dreams which allow me to live overseas.  He has created you with unique dreams, skills, and abilities.  He calls each of us to use our gifts to influence those around us.  You have the ability to positively effect the lives of those around you.  Are you good at math or science?  Great! We need those people to help design buildings, plan cities, take care of our sick, and make sure that the budget is in line.  Those are important skills that should not be overlook because they are not as “intriguing” as living in a foreign country. 

We need people to serve where they are called, to realize that their vocation is just as important as any other.  For the Kingdom to effect reach each society we need believers purposely working in education, government, fine arts, health care, family care, church, and business.  We need dedicated people working in each of these spheres of society so we can see positive transformation.

Hopefully this is encouraging to you.  You are already in a position to impact those around you.

Charity and Justice

Charles Dickens said:  "Charity begins at home and justice begins next door."

Most people would assume that charity and justice are things that should be done outside of the home, focusing on the needs of others who are less fortunate than those in their inner circle.  Dickens statement, however, challenges us to see each relationship in our life as an opportunity to bless others and show the love of our Creator through our actions.  If we cannot expressly show love to those we interact with the most, how are we going to extend love to strangers?  If I cannot show kindness and tolerance in judging those I work or live with, I am losing a valuable witness to those I spend the most time with. 

By taking the time to extend grace, mercy, forgiveness, and understanding to those I am closest to, I am building up my heart muscles to do the same for strangers I meet on the street.  I need to train myself to be attentive to the needs of others, to consider the consequences my actions will have on them, to seek the best for them.  If I can train myself to extend mercy to those I see on a daily basis, I will then have the capacity to seek justice in the lives of others.  When I have practiced being attentive to the other's needs, it will naturally extend to my neighbors and community members. Justice, then, will not be a particular crusade but a lifestyle of seeking the best for my society.