Reality slams into this heart with greater voracity each year during this season from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It started years ago, when I began leading a grief recovery group at my church. GriefShare (http://www.griefshare.org/) is a wonderful program that, together with God working in me, has brought a great deal of healing into hearts I have been blessed to engage. It seemed God had peeled open glimpses into the souls of many whose struggles and losses were greatest during the holiday season; and with each year, I am given opportunity to experience more.
For many, such venturings may seem overwhelming, but for this heart of compassion, coupled with my relationship with God, I see it as privilege to join with those in the midst of angst, directly (able to serve and do tangible acts with them), or indirectly (so to speak) through prayers, beseeching God to intervene, bring His peace, help them through their time of darkness; and doing so brings, to me, great joy.
Time after time I have seen the hand of God perform miraculous result in the midst of tragedy at Christmas time. Don't get me wrong, He didn't choose to always miraculously heal or bring back from the dead a loved one, but He did move hearts to connect with His, guiding them to His peace, His hope, His will into their lives helping them move forward through this season. A heart of compassion breaks when touched by the broken, but when connected to God, who sees, fully comprehending and knowing our pains, I know I can rely upon His strength, His compassion, His encouragement to be such in their lives, and together we find joy.
Such is the life of ministry and minister, and I get to do so incognito, for now. Just a servant. Just one who works at Lowe's, or has been a teacher. Just a guy who is connected to a wonderful group of believers at my church. All that will change soon as I am brought on part-time to serve the people I work for 'officially', allowing me to still work incognito, in humble estate, a means I have come to embrace and appreciate; my ministry with God rising out of quiet, obedient service.
We are all called to care; called to engage; called to love, especially those of us who claim Jesus Christ as our LORD. As I engage in relationship with my LORD, I find He continually calls me to more; more care, more love with more compassion in a time where more is needed. I wish I did it well or perfectly. I don't. But I try and He allows grace to soften my foibles. I risk, He rescues. That should be our calling; Every believer moving into and near the hearts of those we see, connecting and caring for the hearts of others, making a difference because our God leads us, we asking, He answering. We looking, He leading. Something tells me that if we believers get this right, people will clamor and seek that joy, peace and ability we have been given, result of God entering His world through us. Are you willing to risk letting Him rescue? He calls me to hard things, but He provides His strength, His wisdom as I move forward with Him. I believe He is asking all of us to step out in faith, with Him this next year. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all could say together, at the end of next year, "We Risked, He Rescued".
No comments:
Post a Comment