At first I have a brief moment of
panic. That is the very place we
are headed to in that moment when I hear the news. Many cars with bullet holes, one man to the hospital with gun shot wounds. I fear in this worldly wisdom that is the very place we
should not go. In fact, it makes
my heart think we should move further from the city, further from the place
where shootings and stabbings have become the norm. Then my heart drops, breaks. This a second shooting in this very mall where I grew up
shopping and people watching. In
some ways I hoped we would run into the shooter. How my heart wants to cry out “Someone loves you! You don’t have to do this! Someone loves you. You’ve experienced a lot of heartbreak
and seen things you never should have seen and I’m so sorry you had to
experience that. But there’s a
reason you’re on this earth.
There’s some one, there’s some thing that needs what YOU have to
offer.” If only the shooter could
hear that. If only each shooter could know that. If only every individual knew, believed
that.
In the midst of a city, a world, that
seems to continually spiral downward, how will we see change? In the midst of stories of shootings
and stabbings and beheadings and riots and injustice, is there really a way for
things to get better? When I think
of the shooter on this day, all I can think is that love has to break out. JESUS has to break out. And He is. There is hope in the midst of darkness.
My instinct has always been automatic
defeat, giving up. With so much pain and
growing injustice, all I could think to do was move further away. I didn't even know where to start. But these words ring loud in my head
“Take heart, I have overcome the world!”
There is a way it can get
better. There is a way it is getting better. Jesus break out. Jesus’ love, BREAKS OUT. It’s His love consuming people and
changing everything about them. I
know it seems hopeless, even impractical.
But what if we just prayed that God
would show us a person, or a few people we can love? (And I know many, many are! Like I said, Jesus is absolutely breaking out. I just wonder if we can take in one more person? Make it our goal to overwhelmingly love
one more?) What if we adopted just
one homeless sign-holding, highway-standing man? And we made it our goal to shower him with love?
A hot chocolate on a cold day.
Just asking how his week is going when you’re stopped at the light and
you’re usually tempted to not make eye contact. Remind him someone loves him. Remind him he’s on this earth for a purpose and that SOME
one or SOME situation needs what He
has to offer. (I know this is not
easy when we’ve been socially trained to turn away! I’m learning too.)
Pray for God to enlarge your heart with love for him or her. Jesus break out, and see change in His
name.
Or maybe it’s taking in a foster
child or two or three? Showering them with Jesus’ love because
it’s not like they got to choose their hopeless, broken, pain-filled
situation. And maybe we can love
hard on their parents too? Pray
for them. Encourage them in Jesus’
extravagant love and purpose for them.
Bless them with a listening ear.
We all have a story, need a listening ear. Just think of the trajectory-change when this little kiddo
gets to experience and know Jesus’
love for them. That’s something
they won’t ever forget. Life changing? Culture
changing? I think so.
I’m with you in this journey. Learning how to love better and
allowing Jesus to break into people’s lives through me. These two things I know, Jesus has to
break in and consume me for His love to overflow out of me. And, the way to see change in our
neighborhood, city, country, world is for Jesus to split through barriers and
captured minds and break out.
Jesus break out.
How will we see the shooter put his
gun down, the gang warfare be diminished, the bully’s words be hushed? Love, the person of Love, Jesus, must consume them. Jesus break out through you and through
me. There is hope in the midst of darkness.
------------------------
If you’re looking for a practical way
to get involved, in the Northwest, Embrace Oregon has many awesome, practical
ways to love on and be Jesus to foster kids and their parents. Embraceoregon.org
Also, here's an awesome story of Jesus breaking out and transforming a city. This is a little bio of Robby Dawkins
and how they started loving on people and watched as crime rates dramatically reduced. “Robby… planted a Vineyard church in the downtown area of
Aurora, Illinois (Chicago area) 15 years ago. Their church has many gang
members, drug addicts, and prostitutes and just simply down and outers as well
as a few middle class. Yet God has shown up to powerfully change these people’s
lives through this pastor and church. To date 70% of their church came to
Christ at their church and 60% of that through Power encounters (Prophetic,
Healing, Deliverance or ministry of God’s manifest presence). The mayor of Aurora along with it’s chief
of police recently bestowed upon Robby and the Vineyard an acknowledgment that
he and his Vineyard church have made a significant difference in Aurora’s crime
rate reduction. For the 1st time in 66 years Aurora, IL was declared homicide
free in 2012."
So awesome. Jesus in action and transforming lives. Jesus break out.
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