Saturday, June 9, 2012

Take Time For Others

Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. -- Philippians 2:4

It’s just so easy to get caught up in our own lives. Unless something impacts us directly or gets shoved in front of us, we put it off to another day. Then another. And another. We’re busy people, after all.

Too busy most of the time. I don’t know about you, but there are days when I long for a day off. Not a day spent doing “fun” stuff, though that would surely be okay. Just a day off with nothing to do and no one to please.

It’s a dream. I know that. We’re all too busy rushing through life to ever take a day off. And sometimes we’re too busy rushing through life to notice the people around us. To visit. To care. To take a few moments and focus on someone else.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the hospital to visit two dear ladies. I didn’t have time. I have orders overdue and demands on my time. My car isn’t feeling well and getting there and back was iffy. But I went anyway because it was what I felt called to do.

And I’m so glad I did. It’s amazing how caring about others can renew your spirit. But isn’t that how it always works? We give to others and we end up getting the blessing.

It doesn’t have to be visiting those in the hospital. Some dear friends are active in our church sports programs. I think they have more fun than the kids. Sure, there are children in need of role models and a foundation of faith in Christ. They get that -- right along with the laughter and plenty of time to tell my friends about themselves.

Another man spends every Tuesday evening at the county jail. He laughs that the first two years he participated in this ministry, he begged God to get him out of it. Now 20-plus years later, the inmates look forward to his visits. No section of the jail is off limits because he’s there to offer Christ to anyone and everyone. And they know that.

Caring for others. Getting out of ourselves and reaching toward those who are hurting or in need, those whose lives are in shambles or those who just need someone to listen. Everyone wants to believe that there’s someone out there who cares about them.

We are a busy people. And, frankly, our society seems to grow more and more self-involved every. But we have a choice too. We can choose to reach out and touch the lives of those around us. We can choose to show the love of Jesus to others, making time, taking time, to care about someone besides ourselves.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Past

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,..." -- Romans 3:23

There's a controversial sign outside the Community at Lake Ridge church in Mansfield, Texas. The sign says, "Jesus Does Not Care." Some folks have been horrified at its message. Others have asked questions and watched the short video at Jesusdoesnotcare.com.

The pastor said he wanted to stir things up. I think he did -- in a really good way. Sometimes we have to be blunt, to shock people into taking notice, so they can see truth. So many of us have past sins draped over us like a funeral cloth. We can't see how anyone could ever forgive our pasts. It's like we think Jesus didn't really mean us when He sacrificed Himself for all believers.

When I talk about sinners, I'm not just referring to drug addicts, prostitutes or thieves. I also mean the person who told a lie this morning and the one lost her temper at lunch and the one who didn't help the homeless teen she passed on the way home from work. I'm talking about all of us. Because we are all sinners. That sin leads to death. It doesn't matter if it was a "little" sin or a "big" sin. The consequences are the same. Without Jesus, we are doomed.

The point of the sign and the video is that Jesus doesn't care about your past or mine. When we come to the cross, when we ask God's forgiveness and accept Jesus' gift, we are forgiven. The slate is wiped clean. He doesn't see it anymore. Jesus doesn't care about your past.

What Jesus cares about is us. He cares how we live our lives today and tomorrow and all the days between now and the time we go home. He knows we can't change what we've done. But we can learn and grow and use those experiences to reach out and draw other people toward Jesus.

This is a controversial sign with, frankly, a controversial message. I'm not surprised that some folks got a little upset. We may know that Jesus died for everyone but some people -- whether intentionally or unintentionally -- still act like His gift was only for certain people. But the Bible clearly says no sin is too big that God won't forgive it. I know. It's an amazing love that is just so far beyond anything any of us can comprehend.

This sign has started a dialogue. I'm glad. Maybe the words and the message will open church doors for people who believed they weren't welcome. And maybe the people already inside can open their hearts, hold out their hands and draw the newcomers inside.

Monday, January 18, 2010

People Pull Together During Difficult Times

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -- Galatians 6:2

It is refreshing to see the world respond to the vast destruction in Haiti. Tears fill our eyes as a daddy pleads for help to find his missing daughter. Our hearts break at the dazed look on the children's faces. We send money. We donate cases of water. We want to help.

I wish we wanted to help as much closer to home. This isn't meant as a criticism of any gift to Haiti. It is necessary and much needed. It's just that we are called to care for others every day of the year, not just when an earthquake ravages another country. Really, how difficult is it to take someone who is sick a bowl of hot soup? Or to visit someone in the nursing home?

Of course, it does happen. We do step up. It's just that we usually wait for something horrible to happen to remind us of what really matters.

I see a family and their friends pulling together after a car accident alters a life forever. We are reminded that good health is ours only by God's grace. It is scary how quickly our lives can change. Suddenly a vibrant young man, a husband and father, is lying in a hospital bed unable to even breath on his own. Yet bills must be made, children cared for, a wife comforted and consoled.

I'm reminded of how the community came together for a barbecue fundraiser to raise money to keep a family going while their three-year-old child battled cancer. Mom took a leave of absence from her job to make the weekly trips to Birmingham and to be there during the frequent hospitalizations. The money from the fundraiser meant they could survive financially.

People care. They carry each other's burdens. They do. I just wish we didn't need something awful to happen to remind us that we should reach out every day. People matter. They just do.




Closer to home, we