Step Up: When you don't get warm fuzzies

Wouldn’t it be lovely if everyone we served was grateful and always made good decisions? Caz talked on Sunday about how unequivocal Jesus is in His command to care for the poor. Not just the poor that we think deserve it.    

            Serving does not always come with warm fuzzies. And yet how often has God reached down to us to show us the way out of our sin, knowing that we will continue to wallow in our darkness? How pure are our motives if we need our actions to be glorified?

            Last weekend I did a 6K for Water race, which helps provide clean water to children in impoverished countries like Zambia. 6K is the distance many children have to walk daily for water. My heart melts for causes like this, and I will probably run charity races all summer.  This is not bad, but what about all of the invisible needs around me?  There are families near us who don’t have the advantage of being sponsored by a large organization and who slip through the cracks of social services. There are families who need help paying bills. And maybe they spend too much money on things they should not. (How many of us can claim we have not?) It is appropriate to have boundaries and some sense of accountability.  But as Caz said, we aren’t excused from the helping the poor. Wouldn’t it be great to develop relationships with families and help them onto a better path? Wouldn’t it be great if our church was seen in the community as a family that helps with yardwork, childcare, and groceries? I like that Caz shared the quote from the book about poverty, and how it is about so much more than money. The poor in our area should not feel inferior and invisible. They are never invisible and inferior to God. They should be served by us, welcomed by us. Who’s in?

Beth