Love is intentionally doing something caring or helpful for another person, regardless of the cost or consequence.
I have a confession…I’ve never been that into the whole “social justice” thing. I’m sure that sounds harsh. It probably is. I have felt like it’s a fad in the church that’s really hot right now. That said, I do BELIEVE in serving people, caring for the under-resourced, reaching out to the hungry, poor and destitute. I have just never reflected that in my BEHAVIOR. I know that I am wired to walk into a room and to look for the leaders and/or potential leaders…it’s who I naturally see. I’m not wired to naturally see the people who are in need. My “gifting” has become my excuse.
2 weeks ago I helped lead (actually one our interns, Morgan Tomberlin, led it) a weekend missions experience to Seacoast’s Dream Center in North Charleston, SC. Something in me started happening a couple of weeks before the trip, was ignited a little while I was there & has continued to burn since I’ve been home. I hesitate to use this word, but I almost feel something “breaking” in me. I feel a sense of brokenness towards the impoverished like I never have.
On that trip I witnessed how much we can actually help someone when we rally together, how much good we can do. I also saw how open people are to the love of Jesus when they feel the tangible love of people. I also stood back and watched how this can be lived out in a local church. I was amazed.
Now I am not saying that my gifts & wiring have changed…I’m saying that my heart is changing. I’m still a leader who loves leaders. I want to develop as many young leaders as I can in my lifetime. I want them to do more than I’ve ever done. That said, I feel like for the first time, I may be becoming a leader who is really broken. I hope that’s the case.
What I’m wrestling with right now is “How can I leverage what I HAVE, what I can DO & what I’m actually GOOD AT to help heal the broken state of so many people in our world?”
I’ll let you know if/when I ever figure out that answer.
WOW!
Been thinking about your post since yesterday. Though many view being broken as a negative thing, there are many examples in the Bible of people being broken. Sometimes I think we need to be broken so that we can see things like God sees them, so that our heart becomes just a little more like His.