If you read my last blog, you know about the tragedy that happened in the life of one of my friends this week. A young man, the boyfriend of a close friend of my family, died suddenly Monday night. I'm going to describe this boy, and I want you to know that I'm not trying to be stereotypical. Unfortunately, we live in a very "quick to judge" world, and I want you to know exactly what the world thought about him so that you can understand and see what amazing transformations can occur when God's people go out and be Jesus to the world.
If you saw this boy out and about, you would think he was probably a thug. He wore baggy jeans, a big coat, a hat cocked to one side, and was Hispanic. He wore earrings and some jewelry and generally looked rough around the edges. He even got shot a few months ago. From first glance, he is the type of person your parents tell you not to get involved with.
From first glance.
What you may not know from first glance is that he had a small baby girl who he loved dearly. He knew every word to every Taylor Swift song and would sing them loudly. He was dating one of my family friends and treated her like an angel. He was trying to get his life together. People judged him and treated him with complete disgust and disrespect. When he went to some people's homes, he was asked to stand outside and was not allowed to enter the house. People ignored him and acted as if he was not worthy of love, conversation, or even cordiality.
Stop for a second and think about that. This is a boy who had made some seriously bad decisions, there is no doubt. But this is also a boy who was trying to straighten out, go back to school, and take care of his child. He wanted to be different...and everyone around him had already written him off. If I were him, I'd wonder if it was even worth it, to be honest. I would begin to accept that my mistakes defined my future, and what is sad is that we know as Christians that is the farthest thing from the truth. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, and our mistakes will never define who we are.
When my mom asked if he could come to dinner and church with us last week, I was so happy to hear that he wanted to come. I couldn't wait to see how he (and the rest of the family) enjoyed the service. I especially couldn't wait to see what God was going to do in their hearts. We had a wonderful lunch, and church was fantastic. My friends all met this boy, and being the amazing, Jesus centered people that they are, they accepted and loved him - and everyone else who had come - right away. The boy seemed to love the service and had plenty of questions about God and forgiveness. He was ready to accept Christ into his life and let Him be the change that turned his life around. One question he asked my mom on the car ride home was, "Mrs. Lori, why are you and your kids and your kids' friends so nice to me?" Isn't that such a sad question? Does it not break your heart to hear a 19 year old boy wonder why a couple of people were actually nice to him? Not only did it break my heart, it infuriated me. We are a society that is so quick to judge. The thing is, we have NO IDEA what is happening in the life of the people we look down on. We don't know what got them there, or how Jesus plans to rescue them. And we don't realize the possibility that we too can be in their exact situation with one snap of God's fingers. What right do we have to judge? None.
Jesus did not hang out with people who were like himself. In fact, it was the people who were not like Jesus that liked him the most. One example is in Luke 19:1-10 with Zacchaeus the tax collector. When Jesus asked to stay at Zacchaeus' house, "all the people...began to mutter, 'He has gone to be the guest of a sinner'" (Luke 19:7). Jesus Christ went to be the guest of a sinner...because it is the sinner that needed saving. Verses 9-10 say, "Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”' It's not the "church people" who need the church...it's the people who are unchurched that need it. Why aren't we out in the world EVERY DAY being Jesus to the people who really need it most? Instead, we judge people, and every day souls are being lost because the followers of Christ see themselves as too good to reach out to the "tax collectors" of the world. In that mentality, are we not comparing ourselves to Christ and having us come out on top? Really?
This week, I witnessed one of my friends do something incredibly generous for a this young man who passed away. My friend met this boy at church on Sunday. It was the one and only time she had ever met him. They were introduced and had a short conversation, and that was it. When we heard that he passed away, she was as stunned and upset as I was. My whole world was turned upside down, and I was really struggling with working through the tragedy. My friend talked with me and prayed for this family.
On Wednesday, we found out that his family realized they were not going to be able to afford a funeral for him. They had been given a couple of donations and were doing a fundraiser, but they needed the money quickly. Because of her compassionate and giving heart, my friend felt that she needed to help the family. She made a significant monetary contribution toward his funeral costs, and her donation, along with several others, provided the family with enough money to plan the funeral. I couldn't believe that a young college student would make such a contribution to someone who was practically a complete stranger. I mean, I know my friend is an amazing person, and she felt called by God to help meet this need, but when you are a college student trying to save money for a mission trip to Africa, a monetary donation such as she gave is a huge sacrifice.
I got the opportunity to call this young man’s mother to let her know that the money had been raised, and I’ve never felt such gratitude from someone as I did during that conversation. His mother cried and thanked us, and I knew that she was unbelievably relieved. Not only were we able to reach this young man the day before he died, we were able to show his family what Jesus looks like as well. Isn't it amazing the difference you can make when you stop worrying about the costs of being Jesus to the world and you just go out and do?
In this deeply heartbreaking situation, I was reminded of the good that still remains in people today. I was reminded to be compassionate and caring toward all. I was reminded to see a need and meet it. I was taught a very valuable lesson about the role you can play in the lives of others – even those you don’t know. Never underestimate the change you can make. It only takes one person to make a difference. It only takes one person to lead someone to Christ.
We are not called to condemn. We are called to love. Go out and be Jesus to the world. Do not miss an opportunity when God puts it in front of you, no matter what the cost may be. Believe me, nothing you give up is worth as much as someone's eternity.
If you saw this boy out and about, you would think he was probably a thug. He wore baggy jeans, a big coat, a hat cocked to one side, and was Hispanic. He wore earrings and some jewelry and generally looked rough around the edges. He even got shot a few months ago. From first glance, he is the type of person your parents tell you not to get involved with.
From first glance.
What you may not know from first glance is that he had a small baby girl who he loved dearly. He knew every word to every Taylor Swift song and would sing them loudly. He was dating one of my family friends and treated her like an angel. He was trying to get his life together. People judged him and treated him with complete disgust and disrespect. When he went to some people's homes, he was asked to stand outside and was not allowed to enter the house. People ignored him and acted as if he was not worthy of love, conversation, or even cordiality.
Stop for a second and think about that. This is a boy who had made some seriously bad decisions, there is no doubt. But this is also a boy who was trying to straighten out, go back to school, and take care of his child. He wanted to be different...and everyone around him had already written him off. If I were him, I'd wonder if it was even worth it, to be honest. I would begin to accept that my mistakes defined my future, and what is sad is that we know as Christians that is the farthest thing from the truth. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, and our mistakes will never define who we are.
When my mom asked if he could come to dinner and church with us last week, I was so happy to hear that he wanted to come. I couldn't wait to see how he (and the rest of the family) enjoyed the service. I especially couldn't wait to see what God was going to do in their hearts. We had a wonderful lunch, and church was fantastic. My friends all met this boy, and being the amazing, Jesus centered people that they are, they accepted and loved him - and everyone else who had come - right away. The boy seemed to love the service and had plenty of questions about God and forgiveness. He was ready to accept Christ into his life and let Him be the change that turned his life around. One question he asked my mom on the car ride home was, "Mrs. Lori, why are you and your kids and your kids' friends so nice to me?" Isn't that such a sad question? Does it not break your heart to hear a 19 year old boy wonder why a couple of people were actually nice to him? Not only did it break my heart, it infuriated me. We are a society that is so quick to judge. The thing is, we have NO IDEA what is happening in the life of the people we look down on. We don't know what got them there, or how Jesus plans to rescue them. And we don't realize the possibility that we too can be in their exact situation with one snap of God's fingers. What right do we have to judge? None.
Jesus did not hang out with people who were like himself. In fact, it was the people who were not like Jesus that liked him the most. One example is in Luke 19:1-10 with Zacchaeus the tax collector. When Jesus asked to stay at Zacchaeus' house, "all the people...began to mutter, 'He has gone to be the guest of a sinner'" (Luke 19:7). Jesus Christ went to be the guest of a sinner...because it is the sinner that needed saving. Verses 9-10 say, "Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”' It's not the "church people" who need the church...it's the people who are unchurched that need it. Why aren't we out in the world EVERY DAY being Jesus to the people who really need it most? Instead, we judge people, and every day souls are being lost because the followers of Christ see themselves as too good to reach out to the "tax collectors" of the world. In that mentality, are we not comparing ourselves to Christ and having us come out on top? Really?
This week, I witnessed one of my friends do something incredibly generous for a this young man who passed away. My friend met this boy at church on Sunday. It was the one and only time she had ever met him. They were introduced and had a short conversation, and that was it. When we heard that he passed away, she was as stunned and upset as I was. My whole world was turned upside down, and I was really struggling with working through the tragedy. My friend talked with me and prayed for this family.
On Wednesday, we found out that his family realized they were not going to be able to afford a funeral for him. They had been given a couple of donations and were doing a fundraiser, but they needed the money quickly. Because of her compassionate and giving heart, my friend felt that she needed to help the family. She made a significant monetary contribution toward his funeral costs, and her donation, along with several others, provided the family with enough money to plan the funeral. I couldn't believe that a young college student would make such a contribution to someone who was practically a complete stranger. I mean, I know my friend is an amazing person, and she felt called by God to help meet this need, but when you are a college student trying to save money for a mission trip to Africa, a monetary donation such as she gave is a huge sacrifice.
I got the opportunity to call this young man’s mother to let her know that the money had been raised, and I’ve never felt such gratitude from someone as I did during that conversation. His mother cried and thanked us, and I knew that she was unbelievably relieved. Not only were we able to reach this young man the day before he died, we were able to show his family what Jesus looks like as well. Isn't it amazing the difference you can make when you stop worrying about the costs of being Jesus to the world and you just go out and do?
In this deeply heartbreaking situation, I was reminded of the good that still remains in people today. I was reminded to be compassionate and caring toward all. I was reminded to see a need and meet it. I was taught a very valuable lesson about the role you can play in the lives of others – even those you don’t know. Never underestimate the change you can make. It only takes one person to make a difference. It only takes one person to lead someone to Christ.
We are not called to condemn. We are called to love. Go out and be Jesus to the world. Do not miss an opportunity when God puts it in front of you, no matter what the cost may be. Believe me, nothing you give up is worth as much as someone's eternity.
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