"His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were troubled and abandoned, like a sheep without a shepherd." "Matthew 9:36
Last night may have very well been the last time I will ever be in the Catholic Center at Rutgers, which was a very odd feeling. CSA is running summer bible studies on Tuesday nights, so I decided to stop in and do one last CSA bible study. I'm so glad I did. Buh led my group, and did a marvelous job, especially considering it was only his second time running a bible study.
We were reading in Matthew about Jesus sending his apostles on mission, and as always, I found the words particularly applicable for the move I am about to make. What struck me this time though, was not the fact that "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few" but the bit in verse 36 that I have posted above. We were discussing the need to reach out to those around us in terms of a mission, and while it's incredibly true, I felt like we were missing the most important part. Jesus looked at the people around him and his heart was moved. He didn't just know the concept of reaching out was important, but seeing people who were troubled and abandoned, his heart was moved. His mission was not a project, but a result of seeing and loving the people around him.
This is something that has always been difficult for me. I'm great at organizing things. I'm pretty good at running an event, or anticipating a need. But just loving people, really being vulnerable with them and not seeing them as projects but friends, this is so hard for me. I've been incredibly blessed with some great friends who I think live this the right way. Because this is something that has been on my heart since last summer, I've been on the lookout for people I know who are really just loving their friends and family who are troubled and abandoned, and it's amazing to me how many people I know who do this. Sara, Lisa, Chris...the list could go on and on. And it's something I want to be part of.
So I'm excited for this move, and to see what God has planned for me on the West Coast. I'm looking at this as a fresh start, new people to meet and to love. Forget about the mission for right now, and the harvest and the fact that I am only one laborer. I'm just going to try my best to see enough of what's going on around me to have my heart moved by each person that I meet.
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1 comment:
I think that plays a large role in separating those who really truly reach out to others with their soul, and are able to bring others in with their love; and those who stand on soap boxes on the street corners and annoy everybody else around them. As long as we see and interact with people through our love for them; for no other reason than they are people and deserve our love, then we can all bask in each other's warm glow. I'm sure you're going to have the opportunity to do that for others and feel that yourself on the next step of your journey; and it's also what will keep you connected with those of us back here 8 )
- Gregg
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