Unfortunately I had a less-than-lovely encounter with someone this morning that left me feeling a bit disheartened. And I hate it when that happens. I hate it when I allow someone else's bad mood to interfere with my joy... I really do.
My daughter had a 4-hour play practice this morning at 10 at the school. It happened to be on the side of the school that isn't unlocked on the weekends which made it pretty difficult when we arrived.. on time.. to a prescheduled practice yet unable to get in. Thankfully there was another student who had arrived a bit earlier who graciously held the door open for us or we wouldn't have been able to get in. We would have had to get back in the car, drive around to the other side of the building to see if that door was unlocked which would have made us late for practice which would have cost us as the director charges for every minute you're late (which I am not arguing isn't a good idea... I find lateness totally intolerable).
As we made our way in I thought it would be a good idea to tell the director about the experience we had and let her know that the doors to that side of the building were not unlocked. I thought it would be something she might want to be aware of. Since we struggled to get in, I was certain there would be others who would struggle as well and perhaps she had something to wedge in the door to keep it unlocked for others. Her response was, "I don't have anything in my back pocket." She then proceeded to tell me that the others would need to figure out a way to get in. She and the others were where they needed to be. They were inside the building... warm and safe and taken care of. But there were others who would struggle to get in and be left out in the cold because we failed to offer them a way in or at the very least, provide a way to warn them about the locked door.
As I walked back out of the door and to my car I noticed that there were several kids who were walking back to their own cars after having attempted to come in before noticing that the doors were locked and there was no access. Thankfully I was able to catch a few and help to let them in before I had to get into my own car and drive away.
As I drove away I began to think of this scenario from an eternal perspective...
Isn't this sometimes how we Christians can become?
We accept Christ because of a sacrifice someone else made to get us there. Maybe it was a school teacher who spent some extra time with you because she saw so much potential in you. So you ended up having conversations about Jesus with her and because of the investment of her time, you accepted Christ as your Savior. Maybe it was a coach who became your mentor and through his personal sacrifice of spending quality nights away from his family while coaching and mentoring you, you surrendered your life to Christ. Maybe it was a singe parent or a best friend or a Sunday School teacher or a pastor. But more than likely, there was someone who gave up something to share the gospel with you. Someone invited you to church, someone prayed for you or someone read scripture with you... but chances are someone in your life cared enough about you to make sure that they would see you again in eternity.
So what happens to many of us after we have crossed the line of faith? Unfortunately what happens to so many of us is we forget. We forget what it's like to be on the outside. To be searching. To be lost. To be afraid. To be without Jesus. We forget. We become numb to the hurting world because of our security. You see - we're safe. We've got our act together. We know where we're going... but we forget that there's a hurting, dying world out there lost without Jesus. We forget that we might be the only link they have to a Father who desperately longs for a relationship with them. We forget.
When we accept Christ we're safe. We're an insider now. We... like those few kids and the director who made a way inside the doors this morning... are warm and content. They found their way. But what about the others? What about the ones who were left outside? With no way in? The ones who were left out in the cold? What about them?
Isn't it our job to spread the Good News of Jesus to the world? Mark 16:15 says, "Go into ALL the world and preach the Good News to EVERYONE." (Emphasis mine.)
And this was Jesus' command to us believers. I don't think it was a suggestion - but rather an order. And it was intended for ALL the world - not just a few. He said it pretty plain and simple... everyone.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am in Christ." And wasn't it Paul who turned from Christian Persecutor to making his life's missions to see to it that the Gospel was presented to as many as he could?
There is a hurting world out there who needs to know how much God loves them and what great length He went to to prove it. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people who will suffer an eternity separated from God because they don't know this man named Jesus who had them in mind when He hung on a cross for their sins. Salvation is not just for you and for me... it's for everyone. It's to be an offer for all people of all tribes and nations. Salvation isn't something we take for ourselves and hide from the world. It's something we were made to share. It's something we were meant to pass along. It's a gift that we received and that gift is to be given away so that others can experience the same freedom we've found.
I don't believe God intended for us as Christ-followers, to stay inside our warm, safe homes and churches and schools, while there are cold, hurting, hungry people who will miss out on the greatest gift ever given if we don't do our part to introduce them to Him.
It's up to us. We have the choice. We can either hang a sign on our door that says, "The door is locked - good luck finding your own way in" or we can unlock the doors, creating a way in for lost people and embrace them with the love of Christ.
Let's not forget that we, too, were once lost...
Finding JOY in the JOurneY,
www.wendybender.blogspot.com
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