Value
As I stumble through these last 30 days in Texas that are packed full of good-byes, trash, caffeine and tears, I'm often asked 'What is your purpose in going to Honduras?' The question is asked from many perspectives... from the view of believers in Christ who may think that God has given us visions of all of the details; from the view of skeptics who think there is absolutely no 'good' that could come from our dismantling the American dream and reconstructing something very different; and from the view somewhere in between that cringes at our yanking our kids from their roots and yet sees in the midst a glimmer of 'worth' in our effort.
What to do with this question? Our purpose? ... Really, our purpose is exactly the same as it is here in the US of A: to walk humbly with our God, loving Him and placing value what He values. And what exactly does He value?? He values the ONE... every ONE... every life, every adult, every child. Remember His words about leaving the 99 to find the ONE? It could be any ONE... even some ONE you know.
Our privileged position here in suburban America often leads us to subtle rankings. Politically, we may say that all men, women and children are created equal; but our bias, our mental deception, our uncanny ability to excuse away our unequal treatment of others reveals something very different. Sorry folks, that's the truth. If it weren't the truth, I'd never be asked 'what about your kids?' which implies that my kids are more important in God's grand plan than any ONE of the kids in Honduras, or Africa or South America.
Of course, we value our own children and protect them because they were given to us to nurture and guide. Is their worth though, in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, more valuable than the children we are going to love in Honduras? Just something to think about.
A challenge to you today... when you see the man working in the median with the weed-eater in hand and a bandana protecting his head and neck from the sun, pray that God will show you how much He values that man. When you see the woman screaming at her children in their ramshackle van at the grocery store because she cannot buy the food they need, pray that God will show you how much He values that woman. When you watch the umpteenth video of precious orphan children around our globe and are tempted with compassion fatigue, pray that God will show you how much He values those babies. Such a prayer just might change your life.
What to do with this question? Our purpose? ... Really, our purpose is exactly the same as it is here in the US of A: to walk humbly with our God, loving Him and placing value what He values. And what exactly does He value?? He values the ONE... every ONE... every life, every adult, every child. Remember His words about leaving the 99 to find the ONE? It could be any ONE... even some ONE you know.
Our privileged position here in suburban America often leads us to subtle rankings. Politically, we may say that all men, women and children are created equal; but our bias, our mental deception, our uncanny ability to excuse away our unequal treatment of others reveals something very different. Sorry folks, that's the truth. If it weren't the truth, I'd never be asked 'what about your kids?' which implies that my kids are more important in God's grand plan than any ONE of the kids in Honduras, or Africa or South America.
Of course, we value our own children and protect them because they were given to us to nurture and guide. Is their worth though, in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, more valuable than the children we are going to love in Honduras? Just something to think about.
A challenge to you today... when you see the man working in the median with the weed-eater in hand and a bandana protecting his head and neck from the sun, pray that God will show you how much He values that man. When you see the woman screaming at her children in their ramshackle van at the grocery store because she cannot buy the food they need, pray that God will show you how much He values that woman. When you watch the umpteenth video of precious orphan children around our globe and are tempted with compassion fatigue, pray that God will show you how much He values those babies. Such a prayer just might change your life.
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