What's At Stake Journal Entry

May 6, 2010

 

“What’s At Stake?”

 

When I read the gospel stories of Jesus I am somewhat stunned by his treatment of the marginalized people of his day.  The woman at the well, Zacheus, the 10 lepers, the woman caught in adultery, and on and on the list goes.  He had a sense for where people were in their life and he was consistent in providing whatever it was that they needed.  He lived his life so compassionately.  He changed the world one person at a time.  We live in a world that just overwhelms us most of the time.  Too much stimulus, too much information, too much news, too much knowledge, too much of just about everything.  Have you been to the grocery store lately and tried to buy bread?  We have become obsessed with choice to the point that we are exposed to so much from which to choose we don’t know what to choose.  In the midst of such a culture even our ability to share compassion becomes affected.  Do I give to my church, to World Vision, to Save the Children, to the food pantry, to the relief fund, to Haiti, to the Red Cross, to………  And if we are not careful we can use the constant bombardment of so many causes to never give to any of them. 

 

Jesus focused on the need at hand.  He took care of the one that stood before him.  In doing so he sought to focus his help,  his love, his care to those he could help.  Each of us need to learn from his example.  Focus your love, your efforts, your compassion, your resources where you can.  We can’t save the world, but we can help to save one person, one child, one young person, one senior citizen at a time.  If we do that for a lifetime we might be surprised at the difference God can make through us.  The point is that we do what we can, where we can, with what we have.  A biblical truth is that it is not about the gift anyway.  It is about what God does with the gifts we give.  Not giving, not trying, not sharing our resources is really not an option.  Our church needs us, our community needs us, our world needs us.  God can make a difference through what we offer one child, one youth, one person, one senior citizen at a time.  What’s at stake if we don’t?  Everything we love and hold dear, that’s all!

 

I will see you on the road,

 

Travis