To love without Hesitation

I have now been gone for alitte less than two weeks. The sun is shining down, pouring out it's warmth on my face. I can hear the birds chirping, the waves crashing down, and I can feel the breeze across my face. I close my eyes, stop, and listen all around me. I feel Jesus' all around me; in the air, in my heart, on my skin. I envision that Heaven might feel like what I am feeling now. I image a place such as one I am seeing right now with my very eyes.
I sit back and recall the events of the day, the many precious moments that occured with the children.
As I stood in the courtyard greeting the children this morning, their smiles warmed my heart. As I looked out in the distance, I saw a woman I recognized, hand in hand with little Zimmie and his sister walking along side of her. He hadn't been at our program the day before. When he saw my face, he came running. This little boy looks to his old granny for comfort, help, support. I'm not sure how old she is, but I'm not sure how long she will be able to keep up with him and his sister. Stories like Zimmie's are all around me. AIDS has taken the lives of so many young mothers and fathers. Grannys and aunties are left to take care of 5-10 young children.
I know that some people are just simply overwhelmed to think of all the need in this world. To be honest, alot of the time we can't seem to look past our own needs that we think we have. I believe that God is showing me through children and people's lives, that it isn't all about meeting those GREAT needs. I will never be able do that. It is out of my capability and out of my control. But what I can do is love; just as Jesus loved me I am filled with hope though when I see the results from simply loving these children. I see that God uses kindness and love to lead people into repentence and salvation.
I think what God has changed most about my life over the last year is how I look at him and what I believe of Him. God is my father. For most of my life I never looked at him as my father. I simply just looked at him as the King of the Universe. I never had an intimate relationship with him. I just DID church. I looked at my life in a whole different way. I figured I was a christian, I was saved, and would later on die and go to Heaven. Heaven was a destitation.
As I read the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6, it has finally dawned on me as to what God has wanted from me all my life. God reveals so much in just a short, but powerful prayer. He tells us exactly how to pray and what to pray for. It starts with, "Our Father, who is in Heaven." God could describe himself in so many ways, yet He makes sure He lets us know He is OUR Father. He goes on to say, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Heaven isn't suppose to just be experienced in Heaven. God tells us that His Kingdom is meant to be here on earth. Churches today and even christians today tend to be concerned with getting as many people saved and into Heaven as possible. Most people's mind sets aren't focused on bringing God's kingdom here on earth. How can we transform the earth? How can we bring heaven to earth? Alot of people think it is impossible. People turn into a religious audience if we don't teach people to participate in bringing the kingdom to earth. I believe God is wanting us to leverage our lives here on earth by bringing heaven to ALL the earth. He doesn't just say, "Stay in America and help others." He doesn't say, "Go to church and write checks to charities." Jesus tells us to go, love, and spread light to dark places.
Isaiah 58 is a perfect passage as to what the church needs to do in order to bring God's Kingdom here to earth. What pleases God and brings the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth? We are told in this passage: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives that need help. Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
How do we bring light into the world and His Kingdom to earth? I believe God is telling us through this passage in Isaiah 58 that we do this by giving, sharing, and extending our soul and spending our lives on helping the oppressed, poor, widowed, and orphaned because they are the ones in the dark. Nowhere was it written to write a check. God didn't send a check to save the world. He sent His Son; a person.
I see with my life that the more I sit and listen to God, the more I hear Him telling me to go. I believe we all are called and meant to go. We are all called to bring His Kingdom to earth. I believe that can be done through loving others without hesitation, sacrificing our time and resources for others, investing in a child who has no family, no parents. God tells us that we are a family, the body of Christ. I think we could all do a better job at this.
There are around 100 million people in America that claim to be christians, which breaks down to probably around 25 million families that are christians. Can you imagine what the world would look like and be like if every single one of those 25 million families sponsored and helped an orphan child in need? These children here in Cape Town, those in Limpopo, and even those in Nicaragua are beautiful, smart, and talented. They have dreams and passions just like you and me, yet they were simply born into poor circumstances, poor countries, places where there are NO opportunities. No people to show interest in their lives because their parents have died from preventable and treatable diseases.
It makes me sick to my stomach to think how wasteful and oblivious I was to the desperate needs of the world just a little over a year ago. Hugs, smiles, and praise are things that we take for granted, yet these children don't receive these things ever.
Friends, we have been richly blessed, and as christians we have an obligation. Jesus promises that if we give, spend our lives, and love those who he loves that are hurting and oppressed, Light will be broughtto the dark places. This is our missional calling-- to be available to God. He wants to use each and every one of us. I can't begin to explain what it means to these beautiful children that people want to invest in their lives. All they need is love. They have taught me how to love without hesitation. They have taught me what it really means to be like Jesus. Zimmie showed me today what unconditional love looks like. He didn't expect anything out of me in return. Within two days, this precious child of God gave me the new name of "mama". He wasnt wanting me to give him things or to buy him things. He simply looked at me, smiled, buried his head into my chest, and wanted love. He needed a smile; needed a hug; needed love. Isn't that what we all want? Jesus wants our love, and by loving others in need, we are loving Jesus, just as He would want us to love.