I am not a person who likes to meet other people very much. I am (as I’ve stated multiple times in this blog) a rather anti-social individual. This, of course, begs the question… why on earth would God pick me to help plant a church? Surely there are more qualified people (yep). Surely, He could have found someone more gifted in outreach (most certainly). And, obviously, He could have found someone far more willing (no doubt). But here I am – chosen by God to do that for which I am not particularly skilled (and, in fact, there are some evident glaring handicaps).
Thankfully, Scripture shows us that most of the idiots God chose to do stuff were really not that skilled at what He’d chosen them to do. What He required was obedience and a willingness of heart to go wherever He led. Obviously – He does this because it means that success can only happen by leaning wholly and completely upon Him. He gets the glory… not us. (Remember – that’s what God’s really on about anyway… getting glory.)
So, needless to say, I’m heavily trusting God to take me beyond myself to invest intentionally in the lives of the people who live directly around me. God has already kicked me in the head a number of times with the Boots of the Gospel of Peace (and I needed it badly). I’ve found myself on the HOA board truly excited about what’s happening and believing we may actually begin to work together to build some sort of community here in Riverside Meadows.
What’s most amazing is that I find myself at events I would never normally attend. I find myself talking with people that I wouldn’t have normally talked with. And you know… I like these people – heck, I love these people. I want to know more of them – I want to understand their worldview and see what motivates them in life. I want desperately to see if there is some small way that I can bring light to their lives in hopes that the Holy Spirit will explode in their world so that they might see God for who He really is.
How does this happen? Put your shoulder to the plow and press in to diligently do that which God has put before you. You will royally suck and totally screw up (almost a guarantee), but He will reward your diligence and He will teach you His ways and give you His heart so that people will see the Heart of Christ beating inside of you.
Hopefully, you see in these writings a man who is staying The Course and pursuing The Path amidst the pitfalls and selfish ways of being a son of Adam. I pray earnestly that my writing would encourage some of you by showing you that this journey - though arduous and sometimes tragic - is a journey of great satisfaction. A satisfaction greater than our greatest imaginings. The trials and refining fire of tribulation are to be recognized as a small shadow of the suffering of our Savior so that we can rejoice, as Peter and the disciples did, to be counted worthy to suffer for the sake of the Name.