today, i went with my youth group to go prepare and serve hot food for the homeless under the freeway in downtown Seattle. i had to wake up early, brave the cold, and spend the entire day on my feet (wow, go me). as i looked into the eyes of each human that walked through the line, greeting them with a timid but as friendly as possible "hi, how are you? would you like some chicken pot pie?" i got hit, i mean hit, with Jesus telling me "these are Mine, these are My people, I hold them". i've volunteered at a homeless shelter before, but i'd never honestly taken the time to wonder about stories, look in their eyes, pay attention to God's identity for them. they are His like i am His, like you are His.
i shivered in the cold and thought about shivering with the knowledge that i would keep shivering. i thought about knowing i wouldn't get to go eat at Red Robin afterwards or knowing i wouldn't get to go home afterwards. i couldn't fathom it. i couldn't fathom those cold nights with absolutely no food in my belly or warmth in my heart, never mind my body.
yet, tomorrow we reflect on the day that Christ went to the cross. i can almost audibly hear His voice echoing through the space below the freeway. i can see it shaking the homeless, and all the rest, the heartless, the broken, i can see it physically shaking the ground, causing forks to drop from hands and eyes to turn up from warm food. i can hear Him commanding to our human hearts "you are MINE". and that is what happened when He spread out His arms and hung from a tree. we are not homeless, not any of us, we are not broken, not in the light of His love.
i can imagine laying out my blanket on the cold ground for the night, and falling down into a heap on the ground. i can imagine closing my eyes, curling up, letting the cold take over my body, and then i can imagine a sudden pang in my soul. just where i last felt emptiness, i can imagine the voice of Jesus telling me that i am His.
and we don't have to imagine it.
listen.
in a cold world, where homelessness is real, where brokenness is common, where pain is the daily deal, "we can know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us." (1 John 3:16)
at the foot of the cross
we
find
home.
i can imagine laying out my blanket on the cold ground for the night, and falling down into a heap on the ground. i can imagine closing my eyes, curling up, letting the cold take over my body, and then i can imagine a sudden pang in my soul. just where i last felt emptiness, i can imagine the voice of Jesus telling me that i am His.
and we don't have to imagine it.
listen.
in a cold world, where homelessness is real, where brokenness is common, where pain is the daily deal, "we can know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us." (1 John 3:16)
at the foot of the cross
we
find
home.
Beautiful truth.
ReplyDeleteWow...completely amazed at the depth of such a young girl. I have tears in my eyes because of this truth, truth that I so take forgranted. You truly are inspiring and I pray that you don't lose heart. God is using you as his voice to a world (including me :)) that needs to wake up and shake off our apathy.
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