for the least of these

I have to admit that I haven't had much of a heart for the homeless. I've always had a heart for the poor but not for the poor of my own town or city. I've always assumed that our poor are there (on the streets or on the street corner) because of choices that they've made. And over the past few years, the Lord has shown me that it's not for me to judge or decide why that person is there. He's not asking for me to differentiate between those that will spend the money that I give them on alcohol and those that will spend it on food. Is He asking for us to use wisdom? I'd say yes, but above all else, He's asking for us to just give His love.

Last Spring a few of us ladies from COTH decided to work through the book, "Compelled by Love" by Heidi Baker. And if you know me at all, then you've heard me say how this book is a must read. I think that all of Heidi Baker's books are worth reading, but this one especially touched me in that she addresses the issue of loving those who will take what you have to give to them and then abuse it (and possibly you) in return. She talks about her street kids and how it takes a lot of time, a lot of love, and a lot of patience and the work of the Holy Spirit to get the habits and the behaviors that these kids have always known out of the kids. And tonight as we met with the other ladies who are involved with the Justice Project, it hit me that it's the same way with the homeless. I can't go out and expect that the people we meet will change overnight. I can't expect that their lives will ever change. However, I can hope and believe that somehow God will work through us to speak to their hearts. And if He can touch them, then that is the best thing that can happen. That is the thing that is most needed. Our world just needs love, and that is what we have to offer.

I'm realizing that the calling of every believer is to go out and minister the love of God. It's not a huge revelation or rocket science; it's just basic. And it may not always be easy. There is the possibility that we may never see the fruit of our pouring out. However, the call is still there. God didn't give His Son so that we'd just be saved, enjoy life, and go to heaven. Yes, we get all that, but we are responsible to tell others. We are responsible to give what we have, and what we have is the love of God in our hearts. So if we can love on others by saying a kind word, by giving a traveler a bag of deodorant, shampoo, and socks, by saying hey, by the way, Jesus loves you, then we are doing what we're called to do. I can't sit by and not do that.

As I end this thought, I want to share a quote by Mother Teresa. Again, if you know me at all, you've probably also heard me talk about this lady. Her heart and her actions inspire and challenge me. She was a woman who absolutely caught God's heart to love the poorest, sickest, ugliest, most abused, most deformed individuals that this world has to offer. And she did it knowing that none of them would ever give anything back to her. She did it purely out of her love for Jesus. And this is the revelation that she received from the Lord many, many years ago while riding on a train in India - "My dear, you must see your beloved Jesus in each one of these miserable people. You must love that Jesus, serve that Jesus and look after that Jesus. Never forget His voice when He says, 'Whenever you did it for the least of these My brothers, you did it for Me.'"