"If everyone could do what you do, there wouldn't be need for jail..."
| Sani* - Unsheltered |
Such weighty words! Such high praise! But what was it that we did? What were the selfless acts of kindness? What sort of generousity deserved such thick gratitude? Was it salvation? Was it redemption? Reminders of righteousness? Or Grace? Did we clothe them? Or feed them? Or break their chains of bondage? Did we preach to them or heal them?
No...
It was one bloody dollar spent. A cup of tea.
We should all be amazed at how simple it is. Tea with the unsheltered helped the conversation along. From loneliness to relationships, cigarettes to lifelines, jails and families. We made them curious just because we listened to them. They didn't say it but you could see it in their eyes. I'm guessing it made them question. Why were we so confident and assured? People don't normally slow down to talk to us.
I was surprised at how quickly we found our groove. It made men, wise and authoritative, out of the boys. Strength & beauty were revealed in the girls. All bold, all brave. We began to see a depth of His power & the fidelity of His Word. I saw believers raring to become doers. The Greek word, Poietes, doesn't just mean a doer. It also means producer, author, maker, and my favourite, poet. There is creativity, authenticity, originality, beauty when believers become doers and not just hearers. What good is our doctrine and theology if it doesn't inspire or benefit? What good is it learning about Jesus if we don't recognise that He is the white-haired Chinese man who speaks in broken English. Or is the light of Jesus so dim and His voice so feeble that we can't see or hear Him through the dark skin and Malay accent of Sani?
I know this. The Love of God is unstoppable. No amount of bad decisions, or bad attitudes or sin can stop His Love. It will find a way even through the lethargy and ignorance, the prejudice and procrastination of the church. I know this. Because He found the most unlikely. He found me.
* Not his real name
No...
It was one bloody dollar spent. A cup of tea.
We should all be amazed at how simple it is. Tea with the unsheltered helped the conversation along. From loneliness to relationships, cigarettes to lifelines, jails and families. We made them curious just because we listened to them. They didn't say it but you could see it in their eyes. I'm guessing it made them question. Why were we so confident and assured? People don't normally slow down to talk to us.
I was surprised at how quickly we found our groove. It made men, wise and authoritative, out of the boys. Strength & beauty were revealed in the girls. All bold, all brave. We began to see a depth of His power & the fidelity of His Word. I saw believers raring to become doers. The Greek word, Poietes, doesn't just mean a doer. It also means producer, author, maker, and my favourite, poet. There is creativity, authenticity, originality, beauty when believers become doers and not just hearers. What good is our doctrine and theology if it doesn't inspire or benefit? What good is it learning about Jesus if we don't recognise that He is the white-haired Chinese man who speaks in broken English. Or is the light of Jesus so dim and His voice so feeble that we can't see or hear Him through the dark skin and Malay accent of Sani?
I know this. The Love of God is unstoppable. No amount of bad decisions, or bad attitudes or sin can stop His Love. It will find a way even through the lethargy and ignorance, the prejudice and procrastination of the church. I know this. Because He found the most unlikely. He found me.
* Not his real name
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