Welcome to 2015, everyone!
As to be expected, most of y'all are still hanging tough with the resolutions you've made, or maybe doing some serious reflecting on 2014, determining what steps you will take to make 2015 successful. I ended 2014 with a blog on a reputable charity I think does a whole lot of good. However, brought to the forefront of my mind the past few weeks has been the people immediately around me. The nationally-popular charities to which we contribute are great, but rarely do they meet the needs of our neighbors, our friends, our families, etc. What are we doing to care for those in the near vicinity of our lives?
This isn't a rich/poor, have/have-not issue. What we must do is take an honest look at our service: how the lives of those around us flourish because of our work, our prayers, and our selflessness. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be healthier, more financially responsible, or less smart phone dependent, but what end are those goals helping to reach? More free time? More money? A smaller dress size?
"Spending ourselves for something infinitely greater still fans our parched souls for God-given need to matter but relieves us of the relentless pain of being the "It" person at the center of it." This Beth Moore quote hit me hard one morning and hasn't left me since. Our souls long to serve. I'm always amazed at the magnitude of human compassion and the good that has been done by the simplest of individuals. I've caught myself writing a check or dropping money in an offering plate, knowing someone else would do something good for someone I'll never meet. How much greater is the service when we use our money or time to directly serve our neighbors, perhaps in a time or place that directly affects our lives as well?
We're comfortable passing the responsibility, careful never to dirty our hands with others' trouble, but not hesitating to bury our noses in others' tribulations. We (and I include myself) are so quick to forget our need for forgiveness and the despair we feel during those dark days. Rather than giving in to the drama, feeding the fire, and not looking like the rest of the world, my hope is that we will shine bright with hope in 2015. I have faith, not in our abilities as individuals, but in our capability for good when it is centered around Christ and encouraged by brothers and sisters working toward that same good. We have work to do, certainly. However, I refuse to fall into the life of selfishness and disconnectedness that's been set for my generation without a fight. You're never too young to make a difference, you're never too old to change.
This is just a little extra for y'all. In light of the deplorable job we've done approaching race relations in our nation, Matt Chandler beautifully lays out our role as Christians:
"Where the ideal is lacking, grace abounds."
http://www.thevillagechurch.net/sermon/racial-reconciliation-prayer-2015/
