It seems like so long ago, but it was only 2 months since our Family Weekend. The many seeds planted over that weekend continue to germinate and challenge me to this day.
As I got to know our speaker and connect with him, I felt a great love and care for him. He was a man that truly loves Jesus and genuinely cares for others. I listened to his teaching and testimonies and watched him interact and connect with the Lifespring family. He was just an absolute joy and blessing to have with us.
But then he said something that shook me. He said, “There are churches where people like me are not welcome”. These words struck something deep within me and has stuck with me ever since.
Our speaker continued to share testimonies of God’s divine intervention, such as being spared 80 lashes, the testimony where the Afghan woman by a miracle of God avoided beheading, the grace and mercy of God providing protection and warning the speaker to flee Iran before capture. They’re all amazing testimonies, but how many stories are untold because they did end up being lashed, beheaded, and captured?
Our speaker was not a guest speaker. He became like a brother to me. The Lord has been challenging me in this. The Lifespring family cannot just be inspired to do good. God is not after our hands. He is after our hearts. God is not calling us to action to do tasks, God is after our hearts that call us into action as an overflow of the love of the Father – a genuine care for others.
The Scripture teaches us that there is no greater love than to lay your life down for one another. I do not believe that we will ever lay our lives down because of great plans. We will lay our life down where there is great love, and great love is only found when He has our hearts.
The Lifespring family is extremely blessed and privileged. But the danger is that privilege can numb our senses – we become blind to the poor and broken. Let us not be inspired to do good – but simply be good, by being like Jesus (1 John 3:16).
Father God, thank you for your love that endures forever. Thank you for your patience and pursuit of us. We often have such hardened hearts, but God, we give you permission to soften our hearts. May we be pliable to become just like you. May we not just genuinely care for others, may be we genuinely love others. For Your Name’s Sake. Amen