LOVE GOES…
Stop.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.
Now, think about the people in your life that you can count on. People
who have encouraged you. People who have listened to you. People who have held
you when you cried. People you’ve laughed with, learned from, received advice
from, been scolded by - people you look up to.
People who have sat in the emergency room with you, helped you out
financially, helped you move, watched your kids. People who drove you to work when your car
broke down, brought you some Vicks when you were sick, took you to lunch when
you were disappointed or hurt. People who came to the funeral of someone you
loved. People who went to your graduation. People who attended your ballgames,
recitals, school programs - who walked with you through your rite of
passage. People who made sure you had a
first…taught you to water ski, how to put a minnow on a fishing pole, took you
to Disney World, camping, on an airplane trip and road trip. People, who taught you to cook, mow the
grass, read a book to you. Think of the
person who took you to church and introduced you to Jesus.
Who
you are today is determined a lot by who supported you yesterday. Those people you sometimes take for granted
who always have your back. If you take
the time you can remember individuals all the way back to your childhood who
influenced you; helped to mold your character, taught you manners, gave you a
break and kicked you in the behind once in awhile.
The
job you have, where you volunteer; those who refer you to doctors, roofing
companies, landscapers, mechanics…your life is balanced because of those you
network with, your family, your friends – your support system.
So
many people have no support system - no one has their back. Their lives are often in chaos and
crisis. They survive from day to
day. Nothing is permanent or sure in
their lives except that something “bad” will happen. They are starving for someone to trust,
someone to care, someone to love them unconditionally, someone who won’t judge,
someone who will listen. They want – and need – the same things we have, a
support system, a network of people who will encourage and lift them up. We (the church) provide clothing closets and
food pantries and benevolence, which is great but then we get frustrated when
we see the same folks coming back over and over again for assistance. “How
can they get their act together when they’ve never had their act
together?”
How can we expect people who have no life skills, coping
skills or problem solving skills to figure out how to put food on the table,
pay the electric bill, get the kids to bed at the same time each night and pay
the rent on time? That’s another thing we tend to take for granted. We have
schedules and routines to ensure we get the kids to all of their games, for us
to take vacations, get the car detailed and go to dinner with friends. We’re
organized and we plan things out. Many of these families we serve have no
structure, because everything in their lives is uncertain.
The
people that Isaiah 58, In His service ministers to rarely, if
ever, experience any of the things we take for granted. Many have never left Tulsa, have never been
in a plane or to a museum; never gone to the PAC. The only restaurants they’ve been in are fast
food or restaurants they work in.
We throw resources at people and we want them “to get it”
but we need to walk with them. We need to live the example.
Think about that.
Their experiences are extremely limited. Their imagination doesn’t take them to a
National Park or a Major League Baseball game.
It is confined to a community center that is closed and a pool that is
now filled with dirt.
These
kids go to school with your kids. You
may go to church with one of these parents.
You drive by their residences and you don’t even see them. LOVE GOES invites you to open your eyes, your heart and your life and give
it all to Jesus.
There is someone who needs you. Someone you can walk with through this
journey called life. It may be a Grandma
next door, or a teenager without a Dad, or a woman with HIV, it may be driving
a single Mom to the store, and it may be taking a widower to lunch or going to
a Celebrate Recovery meeting with a friend.
People are hurting and lonely and waiting on you. Ask God to point you in His direction and He
will use you in a mighty and life changing way.
LOVE GOES it does not sit
behind closed doors…
Please
join us. We have some ideas. There are great things you can do in small
ways. Register at FBCJENKS.ORG/LOVEGOES
In
His service, deni
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