CONVICTED ONCE AGAIN. . . .

A few months ago some friends and I began a book club.  We’ve read through both fiction and non-fiction books and have had a grand time sharing our thoughts about them.  We are currently reading, The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S.  

The author explains his reason for writing his book in this way:

“This book asks the question, What if?  What if each of us decided with renewed commitment to truly embrace the good news, the whole gospel, and demonstrate it through our lives – not even in big ways, but in small ones?  What if we each said to God, ‘Use me; I want to change the world’? “

Using his own personal story, the stories of many people from across the world, and a host of tough to take statistics, he seeks to raise our sensitivity to the issues facing the world’s poor – war, drought, hunger, disease and it’s debilitating effect, lack of resources, opportunity, education and exploitation – that effects so many, so that we might become part of the solution.

Truthfully, reading and discussing this book wasn’t my suggestion.  I already suspected what would happen because my husband Jim and I had begun reading the book together last year while we were on the road on vacation.  Although we only read through about half of it, it was already convicting to me!  I wasn’t sure I was ready for round 2!  With friends to keep me accountable, I knew I wouldn’t be able to let the book’s message go in one ear and out the other!  I was going to be prompted to take some kind of action.  And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

 Last week we covered part 3 of the questions at the end of the book.  We shared some things we had done for some of the less fortunate people whose lives had crossed ours and about the kinds of things that stirred our hearts to action. We talked a lot about how complacent we could be about the needs of people far away once their images were no longer flashing in front of us on a TV screen.  We talked a bit about what we could be doing to make a difference.

Honestly, I was feeling badly.  Talking alone didn’t do a thing to move me out of my complacency.   As I thought about it, the Lord brought someone to mind. Two weeks previously I had had a conversation with a woman.  Well actually I mostly listened, because she was having a horrific time on a variety of levels.  My heart went out to her.  I thought of her on and off over the weeks before our book club meeting.  I thought, I really need to call her, but I did nothing.

The night of our book club meeting, after finishing the discussion questions, I was struck by the section entitled, Take Action.   There the author encouraged us to reflect on when we had been the answer to someone’s prayers and then to make a list to complete the phrase:  “I am an answer to someone’s prayer every time I. . . . .”

Now that is the kind of assignment I love because it takes an idea and forces me to make it practical.  I immediately set to work on my list.  Here’s what I came up with:

I am an answer to someone’s prayer every time I . . .

• ·         Invest in getting to know their children and in praying for them.

• ·         Reach out to encourage and pray for another woman – in person, on line, or on the phone.

• ·         Teach God’s Word to adults or children and make it so interesting that they come to love God and His Word in a deeper way.

• ·         Gather women together to pray or study God’s Word.

• ·         Say yes to serving the Lord where He has called me.

• ·         Plan something at night for working women.

• ·         Plan a women’s event to bring women together.

• ·         Choose to attend an event, not for myself, but to minister to someone else.

• ·         Point out someone’s giftedness and encourage them to apply it in serving the Lord.

• ·         Help someone to see beyond their challenging circumstances to envision what the Lord might be doing through them.

• ·         Plan something to get our neighbors together.

• ·          “Hear” the Spirit speak – and I obey.

• ·         Invest in mentoring younger women in the next generation as they seek to know and serve the Lord.

• Participate in a food drive.

• Tutor a single mom in math. 

• Take an English as a Second Language training class

As I worked my way through my list, patting my back on my sensitivity all the way, I kept thinking of the woman.  That’s when it struck me.  How can I begin to experience God’s heart toward hurting people in the world at large, thinking how wonderfully sensitive I am, when I can so easily ignore those hurting people right in front of me?  The ones with faces I recognize, families I know, hurts that they’ve personally shared with me.  

Truthfully, it shamed me.  So I wrote another list.

I refuse to be an answer to someone’s prayer every time I . . .

• ·         Recognize an opportunity to talk about Jesus and then don’t.

• ·         Listen to a woman’s need and then walk away, without praying, and without following up.

• ·         Hear of a need at church that I can easily meet, but don’t want to.

• ·         Read or hear about the needs of people across the world, but dismiss them because they’re far away.

• ·         Think, “Why doesn’t someone do something”, but not see myself as the “someone”.

• ·         Think only locally and never globally.

• ·         Think only of my church, my family, my friends, but never about God’s church around the world.

• ·         Choose my own comfort, space, convenience, SELF over others when I can easily do something tangible to help.

• ·         Choose to stay in the comfort zone of my church and with other Christians and never get involved in anything outside that world.

• ·         Go about my life as if it’s all about me.

• ·         Choose to follow up with the “easy” people and situations while refusing to minister to the challenging people, or in long term situations.

• ·         Only THINK about someone in need but DO nothing.

I finally called that woman and she was so grateful that someone had thought of her.  Such a small thing to me, but such a great blessing to her.  It was so good to be taken down a peg - more like several pegs.

I’m not looking forward to finishing The Hole in Our Gospel, but I need to finish.  The ONLY way I’m going to change is if the Lord convicts me - often - with my failure to live up to the gospel right here in front of me, while continuing to pray the words of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, for a local and global heart like that of God’s: 

“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”