Awakened to Love

Here I am. Sitting in North Carolina in the great and mighty USA. Pictures from my filled-up walls jump out to me and threaten my eyes to release tears. Adventures arrive at my mind bringing memories of fun, beautiful, hard, emotional, spiritually-filling trips. From America to Africa, the stories I have to share continue to impact my life. 

I read stories of friends who are in different countries, and their chance to serve the obvious physical need of 3rd world countries. I see them washing the feet of others, and my heart desires to wash the feet of those strangers whom I seem to love so openly and willingly. To show them the servanthood of Jesus, the humility of the King, the open arms of the Daddy. I am so blinded.

I just can't seem to get it. I live in a country where food comes at the push of a button, water comes by just the pull of a lever (hot water for that matter), cars are starting to move without drivers, technology is rising even more and more powerfully. I constantly get sick and tired of the greed and "neediness" that occurs more prominently in America. 

But then I think of Jesus. He is unchanging. Always the same, and I overlook the fact that people inside my very neighborhood are going to Hell if they don't hear about the message of goodness from someone. Someone in Argentina, Ukraine, or Australia need Jesus just the same as someone in Winston Salem, or Philidelphia, or Dallas. I complain in my heart about not being where I ELISE MOORE wants to be, and I completely discard the possibility that God has gracefully given me the privilege of bringing light to this spiritually broken land. I am learning, slowly but surely, to give up what I don't NEED. Oh its such a hard thing. I really want this new bag, or this new pair of shoes. But they NEED Jesus. And with our resources and our time and money, we can give America Jesus. We can be the hands and feet of Christ. We can wash the feet of people here where we are NOW. And I believe that until we understand to love everyone everywhere with His love, we are just like every other lost person. We've got to get it. God continually reminds me, and if that's what it takes to take my eyes of myself and place them on what should be my GREATEST JOY, then I'm willing. 

Until Christ becomes our greatest joy; our purpose, we are blind. Make Him your purpose. Make loving the world with His love your purpose. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is it really real? Week 3 in Germany

Image
     Experiencing other cultures is vitally important to your faith, in my opinion. It pulls you out of your comfort zone, (Which is totally cliché right now, but think about it. You’re literally in a zone of the world and you need to physically get out of it) and pushes you to see how other people around the world do things.       In a world that is becoming postmodern I have learned to cherish my values, to cling to the body of Christ, to abandon legalism in order to truly understand the Gospel, to be open to different doors God may be opening, to think before I speak, and to understand that Gospel credibility to other people is through my relationships with other people (how I love them).      I have seen a different, but just as able way to do church. I have recognized how real the Gospel is and how worthy it is of my entire life. I have been to some of the latest, biggest parties I’ve ever experie...
Read more

Stubborn man given NEW life in a matter of minutes.

There is power in the name of Jesus. I have never seen it like I did that day. It was our free day, with not much to do. Earlier, we had passed a big hindu temple on the side of the red hills, and then into a small village that looked untouched by the mzungus. Some of the team had mentioned how it would be really interesting to go to that village for a day, so we went! As we climbed out of the too-small-van onto the staining dirt roads, we prayed for His will to be done. Whatever it was, to let Grace fall on these people. And it did. It was like fire spreading. And it was fire spreading; we dispersed immediately in all directions, carrying the news of redemption, salvation, life with us, hoping to give it away. Nathan, Nick, Maggie, one of the interns, and I started walking down a path worn down by bare feet and skinny, deprived legs. A couple of uninterested, non-english speaking children walked up to us, said a couple words and then went on their way. By this point Nathan h...
Read more

Goodbye 'Murica, Hey Germany!

If you know me at all, you know I love to travel. What an adventure I am about to be a part of! I graduated high school in December (2014). I made that decision in September to finish early because I had enough credits and then I was hoping to travel somewhere or get an internship somewhere local/domestic in the Spring semester (2015). However, I just kinda put it off because it was so far in the future. I met with our missions pastor at Calvary to see what opportunities were available. I wanted to serve the church and not just do what I wanted to do. He mentioned missionaries that Calvary had in Lebanon, Germany, Calgary, and India. After prayer and consideration and a couple emails, we decided that Germany would be really feasible to pursue because of a missionary connection that our head pastor had with the church planter there. Because apartments and living spaces are small in Germany (especially the city, Frankfurt), housing was a bit difficult to find and because we notifie...
Read more