And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
--Matthew 25:40
"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart" — Bob Pierce
Ever since we got to Africa, we noticed that we could barely go a day without someone asking us for money, or to participate in a project to help Africa. My first experience was a random guy at our hotel calling me over to discuss my devotional study on Romans. Being an American missionary, I thought, "Wow, this is a great opportunity to share the gospel;" um…that's not what the guy wanted. It was clear within two minutes that he wanted my help to develop a program to help all of Africa (his words, not mine). That was the day my heart became hard to their plight.
Every day was like that, and now we were sitting (on our "tour" day) in a village where people asked us for more money to build a school. “Come on!” I thought. We were already giving our time and money to the medical clinic; what's enough? Not every white person is rich, and yes, our country's infustructure is awesome, but that says nothing about my personal bank account. In a month, I'm leaving the country I was born in, selling most of my possession, losing a lot of money by quitting my job, and spending close to ten grand in order to be a full-time missionary. I wasn't upset with the villagers though, I was upset with my tour leaders for bringing me here. This was their fault (see that blame again?)
And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."--Matthew 25:40
The last person to address our group was a young girl with a heavy accent. The last words out of her mouth were, "please look at Matthew 25," and then she read it. I felt conviction when she read the verse: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." In this passage, Jesus is telling people that whenever you give to the poor and orphaned, you are giving to Him. Wow, did I need to hear that passage right then. My selfish heart immediately melted, and I was reminded what it meant to give. “How much can I give?” That depends on how grateful I am for His gift.
I thanked the Lord that He used her to soften my heart, and helped me realize that I can't love people like I think I can. I can love children, because their gratefulness makes me feel good, but I can't love my enemy. I can‟t even love the friend who makes me impatient, because I'm so concerned about my own feelings. Love isn't a feel though; it is a conscious choice to treat someone created in the image of God with dignity and respect INHERINTLY deserve, instead of the dignity and respect they EARN. Thinking about that makes me realize how impressed I am by the men and women who get up in front of their families and loved ones; who stand before their congregations and their God; who stand and look each other into the eyes and say, "until death do us part," and last. Both people have made a choice to make a daily choice of submitting to the other person's needs. Not everyone can do that. I know that I can't by my power alone. That day I discover my selfishness, and dependence upon God to change that.
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