Category: Loving & Serving
Goal: Wake up, Rise up, Love & serve my neighbor
Baby Step: Pray for a passion to love & serve
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In the last few years I have felt a tug, an itch, a call {call it what you want} to live beyond where I see many Christians {myself often included} comfortably plopped…right in the middle of “pretty good”, “it works for me” and BUSY! Don’t get me wrong. We ARE busy. Pretty good IS pretty good. But I have been privileged to see need & suffering that shames our comfortable, passion that beats “it works for me” and real life that trumps busy. What I’ve learned is that many of us are content to pray for the needs of those in front of us and around the world, or sometimes financially support those who are doing the work to love & serve the ones in need. We are content with that because we are busy – busy achieving, acquiring, chasing…even too busy at playing church to BE the church. Prayer and financial support are good and so important, but I believe we are called to do more.
From Matthew 25 (ESV): 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Should I be most concerned with spiritual needs? Sure, but there are so many people who have been so hurt by this world, by sin {others’ and their own} that leads to abuse, poverty, illness and the like that they cannot trust in the love of their Heavenly Father until they see it demonstrated in His body here on earth {and that’s us, folks, those who follow Christ}. We are reminded in James 2 that we need to meet the physical needs of those who have them.
So, the first thing I did was begin to pray . The need is so great that it can be overwhelming, so I prayed for God to show me how and where I could make a difference, AND to not let me be content with mediocrity, because partial obedience is disobedience. That’s a dangerous prayer!
Before you get intimidated, realize that I am still receiving the answer to that prayer and that God is leading me in baby steps to obedience. He has provided me with plenty of resources, people and examples to learn from {though the most important 2 remain prayer and His word}. One of those resources He provided was a Texas pastor’s wife named Jen Hatmaker and a “little” book and corresponding Bible Study called Interrupted. I told you a little about Jen in this post . It turns out that she prayed a dangerous prayer, too…and God has turned it into something pretty great.
Well, I bought one of y’all {haha, really not the way I speak, but very Texas} a copy of Interrupted and Jen even autographed it for you!
Interrupted encourages believers to ask if their lives bring integrity to the gospel. Follow the faith journey that begins with one dangerous prayer, “Raise up in me a passion,” and concludes with a life of service to the last, the least, the forgotten, and the forsaken.
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Comment on this post with a dangerous prayer you have for your own life.
Bonus Entries:
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Giveaway will end at 11:59 pm (Central Time) on Friday, October 7. Winner will be chosen at random.
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Life is Crazy Beautiful 
As someone who’s on staff with a church your line about playing church instead of being the church was particularly challenging. And my dangerous prayer: that God would make Himself known, make Himself glorified through me regardless of what it does to my comfort zone. Yikes!
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I will pray with you! The transition of a church from inward to outward focus is a long and difficult one…I decided all I could do was work on me, and pray for all of us. I have become “uncomfortable” with my comfort zone, because I know if I’m there too long, I’m probably not listening to Him carefully enough 🙂
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I have been working with children either as a public school teacher, children’s ministry staff or volunteer for 30+ years. In the last few weeks I have felt the Lord nudging me away from that. Maybe not totally, but not as a dominant factor in my Christian service. Then wham!!! I chose 5 of the 31 day sites to check out and this was one. Hmmm, perhaps He is nudging me in this direction. “The last, the least, the forgotten, and the forsaken.” These are always the children I honed in on when working with children. Since I no longer teach in the school, perhaps it is time to go outside the church — or is He saying “others will attend to children. Give your service for me to adults.” I don’t know where the Lord will lead me but this could be it. I pray that God gives me a clear vision of the direction He wants me to go. Thank you so much for this post/topic.
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I am praying for you, Ruthie! Ministry transition is difficult. My earthly mind thinks maybe there is a special reward waiting in heaven for those who have invested as much in children as you have!! I work with elementary children for 90 minutes a week, and am confident that’s all He’s calling me to do in that realm right now. 🙂 I have been a Women’s Ministry and Missions leader for over a decade…and I believe He is calling me to focus more of that energy outside my church. That is hard for an associate pastor’s wife! I pray that some day the church will provide more outlets for me to reach out with many others from my church family…but that doesn’t give me a free pass right now. I am still praying about where He is leading me to focus – I am still learning about and investigating a few different opportunities. I know He’ll make it clear, if we still ourselves and listen.
Hang in there…I pray He is leading you into an exciting and fruitful place of service {even if it doesn’t involve major changes in “where”}
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Today, you have met me exactly where I am at. Your words have impeccable timing. I am a new homeschooling mom to a kindergartener and also have an 18-month-old. And while raising small children can sometime feel like a full-time ministry, I have been wrestling with the idea of making more space in our lives for the service of others. I have been praying for the Lord to use me as an instrument of his love, and several opportunities have presented themselves. Now, I am praying for direction and to know God’s will for my life to determine which path we will take on this new journey.
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Oh Jill, you are a brave & obedient soul…I so love hearing that this is on your heart at this stage of your life! I will be praying that you will hear clearly the direction He wants for you and your family.
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I live right near the epicenter of the earthquake and tsunami in N. Japan. The 6 months since it happened, I have prayed that same prayer, not as quite as eloquently as you did, but the same thinking…
I sometimes get discouraged for the need is sooooooooooooo great and my efforts seem piddly at times.
God is teaching me to make a difference one person at a time, and that by providing for their physical needs first, and helping them, it is making a difference. So whether it be by shoveling mud out of homes, or taking water to those without, or just by going and visiting those that have been cut off by the tsunami and have lost everything…God is using my piddly efforts, and I hope that I am open to his leading in how to proceed from here. It is interesting to me that even during these 6 months, what I am to do has changed and gone in different directions than what I expected. Praying that I am open to the Lord’s leading from here on also.
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Bless your heart, Joni. You ARE making an incredible difference!!! I got to do a little disaster relief missions after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Greensburg, KS tornado. One thing I found incredibly striking and humbling was the gratitude of those we served in what seemed such a small way to us. Just physically being there to care, to listen, to pray and to take care of a small part of their physical needs was meaningful to the victims (I think even more so than financial help they received). I am definitely going to pray for you…for your strength and health, for your heart to serve! He is leading…I pray you will know, with peace & wisdom, how to follow!
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Thanks so much for your kind words and prayers. It is hard here even now for we still have many earthquakes daily (aftershocks is what they are called but they are still just earthquakes) and though it is not the 50-60 a day that it was for the first few months, it is still quite unsettling to have them so very often.
I am just feeling very weary and trying to find a balance of caring for our family as well as caring for others.
The tsunami came within 3 km of us, and we dealt with the lack of gasoline, heat, electricity, phone etc for many months, now we have all those things back but I think just being in the survival mode for so long is taxing. I have seen so many miracles happen though during this time…God is good!
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My prayer lately has been praising Him for His provision in my (and my husbands) life. We got married last summer and we moved 45 mins away from where I was previously living so we could be closer to his college where he is attending. He also has a well paid part-time job here. I didn’t have a life here at all. I was without a job for 9 months. We were living off our wedding gifts (cash and gift cards). His pay check went towards bills. Long story short, his sub professor from Spring semester is now my boss! I am a nanny for a wonderful family! My latest prayer these days is the adjustment since they just had baby #2 at the end of August. Huge adjustment for all of us. But I love loving on this family and hearing how appreciated they are to have me. But more than that I tell them how much my husband and I appreciate them. God provides. Even when others are telling you, you’re not a good wife for being jobless. I was trusting in God alone!
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Thanks for stopping by, Mary. It is SO good to give Him praise and acknowledge His provision & faithfulness! I am thankful with you for His work in your life 🙂
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Oh man, missed the giveaway, but just wanted to say this was a great post. Thanks for sharing!
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