Doing for the Least = Doing For Christ

A verse that really struck me as I was wrapping up my semester was Matthew 25:35 & 26.  One of the writers in my book talked about the different types of people we come across, and I find that this is good to apply to both others and ourselves:

For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat…

I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink…

I was a stranger and you invited me in…

I needed clothes and you clothed me…

I was sick and you looked after me…

I was in prison, and you came to visit me…

This is Jesus talking to his disciples, but did you ever stop to think about these descriptions and see how they applied to those around us… or even at times how we can be like that?  It is not just a physical ailment that is being cured, but often times it is a psychological or spiritual situation that is being cured as well.

Hungry:  Have you ever met someone that is hungry?  They are desperate and they are willing to take anything.  Usually there is very little discrimination in their mind and they can be very demanding.  Whether it is food, finances, relationships, the hungry person is okay with taking what they can to satisfy the need and usually are okay with doing whatever is necessary to get that need satisfied.

How do we help these types of people?  Teach them how to fish.  Rather than giving the person the fish all the time and keeping them in a position where they are waiting for something to come their way consistently or sporadically, teaching them the proper skills to survive will be something that is life changing, not just moment changing.

Thirsty:  Much like the hungry person, the thirsty person has a distinct need that they want satisfied.  Deep down, what they really want is water and that is the one thing they want.  They are a little more difficult since they will discriminate. 

How do we help?  Help them find clean water.  If you put the wrong type of water in your system, you can get sick.  If you try to drink soda your entire life, there will be a time where you just crave water.  Having the right amount of clean water does wonders, so knowing where to get it and when to drink it is crucial.

Stranger:  Have you ever walked into a room and felt like nobody understands you? You might crack a joke that will make one room erupt, but when you crack the same joke, the people are staring at you waiting for you to mercifully be quiet.  The problem is that no one takes the time to get to know you.  This is a growing problem in society with the advent of texting, Facebook, mega-churches, online schools, and other situations that keep personal contact at an arms length. 

How do we combat that?  Get to know the person and be open-minded about what they have to say.  When someone is no longer a stranger, it can easier to find that they are not THAT strange.  Even if they are, it helps to understand them and why they act the way that they do.  The truth is that too often we have reduced relationship to a simple “hello, how are you?” without expecting a response.  We have to change that.

Naked:  Can you remember a time where you felt exposed?  It is a very uncomfortable feeling and often times it silences you to the point that your shame keeps you from mentioning it so that you can be clothed.  People that feel naked feel isolated.  Personally, I found myself around a lot of people that felt the need to critique my every false move, and it made me feel naked.  It stopped me from doing a lot of things because honestly, who wants to do something when people are laughing at being exposed?

How do we cloth the naked?  Being willing to step out and help them.  If it is something embarrassing, ease the tension and try not to make a big deal out of it.  Helping them overcome their fear of being naked is key as well.  Whether it is coaching them or making light of the situation, helping someone overcome their fear of exposure is an empowering feeling that can open up new horizons for them.

Sick:  Most of the people who are sick are focused on one thing: their sickness and getting rid of it.  They need supervision and care, and oftentimes they try to get better on their own rather than submitting to help.  When we are sick spiritual, it can be the same way.  We do are best to try and solve the problem on our own and continue to be sick without the support of others.

How do we help them heal?  Love them as much as you love yourself and being patient with them, because sick people can be messy.  Help direct them to the right people, the right resources, or whatever it is that can help them get healthy again.

Prisoners:  Prisoners are tough to reach because they live in a world of locked doors, little light, heavy restrictions, and constant harassment.  To understand and reach the prisoner, one has to know what it is like to be in that prison.  The prisoner is usually short of trust, hope, and joy.

How do we free the prisoner?  Being able to humble yourself, finding ways to be honest and building trust is needed.  Not everyone has been in their prison, but if you have, being able to share your experiences and how you got out of it is extremely helpful.  Remember, not every prisoner wants to be free… because they are familiar with their cell.  It provides security.  This is why we have to provide hope for a better life away from the spiritual prison, because what we know might be familiar, but it might not be what is best.

At this point you might be wondering, “Wow Jason, this seems like a lot of work, why would I want to do this?”  Because Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “what every you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”  So when we are helping these individuals who have serious needs, we are not only doing it for Jesus, but we are helping Jesus.

Sometimes that means that we go to places that we said that we would never let ourselves go to.  Other times, we will go places that we think that we may never return from.  But remember, that is the enemy speaking to you.  He fears what we can do, and if he can discourage us from that, he will try to do that.  Satan may tell you that you are ill equipped, but I know that we are never ill equipped to love someone.  God will provide the words as well, so don’t fear not having the right words.

In closing, remember that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do for Jesus.  This is a great way to model Jesus to others, so lets do it with excellence.

10 Things About Elephants in Your Room

While I was away last week, I found that God was talking to me about the different struggles in my life.  What I realized was is that a lot of what I struggle with is what other struggle with too.

In most of our lives, we have at least one elephant in the room.  That one thing in our life that is interfering with everything else but no one really wants to address.  For various reasons, it remains there.  It could be a family conflict, a job situation, or a destructive relationship, but it stays there and it is just a matter of time before something provokes it.

One of the fun things about working at a zoo is that you get to know the animals, not just from a textbook perspective, but from a personal standpoint.  So when people talk about “the elephant in the room”, I know what it is like from a personal standpoint.  So here are 10 things that I know about the elephant in the room…

1.  They are huge:  When we have an elephant in front of us, they block our view of everything else.  They are the biggest land animal in the world, and they make better doors than windows so to speak!  In our spiritual life, the elephant will stop us from achieving God’s best for us because they block our view.

      2.  They can paralyze you with fear:  When something that big and intimidating is in front of us, the last thing that you want to do is draw its attention.  Instead, we sit quietly trying to be invisible and hope that it goes away.  With the spiritual elephant, we might be quiet about a sin and not confess it because we don’t want to look bad.  Or sometimes, we just want a break and want to avoid the ire of Satan, so we stay quiet and hope that he doesn’t notice us.  The thing is, the elephant is very well aware our presence, whether we want it to or not.

  

      3.   They are strong:  I can remember one time an elephant grabbed my arm.  It was not a pleasant feeling because I knew that I would become her rag doll!  Good thing is that she didn’t throw me around, but the thought was still there.  Just like the real elephant, the spiritual elephant is strong and can have its way in our life sometime.  Whether it’s sin, an unhealthy situation, greed, or whatever, the spiritual elephant will have it’s way in our lives at times.

      4.  They consume a lot:  Elephants eat A LOT.  Isn’t that the way certain situations can seem?  No matter how much attention we give it, it will always demand more.  Sin is like that.  Abusive relationships are like that.  Unhealthy jobs are like that.  But again, we often times don’t mention it or avoid talking about it because of the benefits.  But in the end, we have to look and see how much it is costing us.

      5.  They have an amazing memory and are extremely smart:  Elephants remember almost anything, and they are much brighter than they appear.  That being said, the spiritual elephant will like to bring up past failures.  Why?  Because it remembers everything.  Especially what we don’t want to remember.  As for the intelligence, it knows how to push our buttons.  Sometimes they might try to convince you that they are there to help, but the are being deceptive.  Even though most real elephants use their intelligent for good, spiritual elephants will find ways to keep us on the defensive.  But the good news is, we can go on the offensive!

      6.  They can be intimidated:  Remember me mentioning when I got grabbed by the elephant?  If you wondered how I got out of that mess, all I did was turn and yell at her.  Recently, I had a huge issue in which I was at my wits end.  I found myself praying against a spirit in a loud voice and reminding it that I am a son of Christ, and that it has to know its place and leave.  It did, and it is funny how so many things cleared up in the next few days.  I am going to continue to pray against that evil and I am not going to be arrogant enough to think that I cured it once and for all, but I learned that it can be moved.  They do come back though, so remain vigilant. (Luke 11:24-26)

      7.  They can be tamed:  Did you ever notice how Asian Elephants are used in circuses and in manual labor over in Asia?  Did you ever wonder how these massive beasts get trained?  I did.  The fact is that they are hardwired that way.  They are relatively easy to train.  I do not know from experience, but the truth is that they can be trained and they are used.  Just like real elephants, spiritual elephants can be controlled too (Mark 16:17).  They do not have dominion over us, we have dominion over them .

      8.  You can’t move them alone:  If you think that you can take on an elephant by yourself and get them to move, think again.  You need a team of people.  Just like a massive real elephant, I need people praying for me and keeping me accountable with my elephant.  The moment I try to do it alone, I am in trouble (Proverbs 20:18).

      9.  They were led in the room in the first place, that means they can be led out:  Sometimes people wonder why bad things happen in the spiritual realm.  The truth is, often times people invite evil into their house.  If not them, sometimes it is someone else that does.  Similarly, random elephants do not suddenly appear in our life, someone will lead them into the room.  But again, just as they have been led in, you can lead them out.  So that should give anyone hope, because they can go out the same that they came in.

      10.  It is a lot of work to move them, but it is worth it:  If you have not figured it out, anything good in life requires work and sacrifice.  If something is free or too easy to obtain, I usually have to wonder why.  That being said, elephants can be large and ornery, that is why they require effort.  But once they are removed, you can see better, feel better, and smell better!

That’s probably enough info for one day.  Sometimes I wonder why I worked at the Zoo for so long and acquired all the random tidbits that I did.  So I hope that you were able to get something out of this!

As I have been reflecting on the past few years of my life, I found that I had my share of elephants that were causing drama in my life.  They stopped me from doing quite a few good things, but I learned that I had to start pushing them out.  They may not like it, but often times they don’t realize that they will be much happier outside of my room… and needless to say, I will be much happier as well!

In conclusion, I am praying for all of you that read this that you will be able to locate those elephants in your life that are scaring the right people out of your room, messing up your room, or manhandling you.  I believe that God can help you through that, and if you ever need prayer or help, feel free to ask.  That’s what I am here for!  Thank you again for reading this, and may your life be elephant free!!

What Weddings and Corn Hole Taught Me About Dialogue

This week I had the pleasure of seeing two of my friends get married.  In the flurry of weddings, visiting people, and trying to relax from working three jobs and doing grad school, there were a few things that I noticed that spurred thoughts on a major issue that I have been meaning to talk about.

The first revelation that I had was the significance of dialogue.  On Friday, I spent quite a bit of the day with a guy who I had been acquainted with for years.  We were running around picking up last minute things for the wedding.  We have talked here and there, but nothing for a prolonged period of time.  During the several hours together, we had a lot of time to chat and we covered a bunch of topics.  Over lunch, we discussed our view point on certain religious topics.  He is a practicing Christian, but we had differing viewpoints on some topics.  Then it dawned on me…

Even though we differed on view points, we were willing to listen to the others viewpoint.  The second thing I noticed was that we did not condemn the others viewpoint, instead tried to find understanding.  The key was that we were willing to listen to the other one and not try to win. 

This is a pattern that I have noticed in my life.  If I make a big deal out of my stance and I am in everyone’s face, I have to expect push back.   In a current events correlation, Brittney Griner (WNBA Player) did not make a huge deal about her lifestyle, and consequently not many people in the media did either.  Yes, she got push back at points in her life, but the media was not fawning over it.  In the same way, I never made a huge deal about my Christian lifestyle.  I watched peers throw it in people’s face, and they had negative reactions.  But I generally had an audience with people who had opposing view points because I am comfortable enough to be around people who are different than me.  Yes, I have received death threats and got mocked, even though I minded my own business, but generally I had an audience with people willing to dialogue.

The truth is that after a huge blow out of an argument or an obnoxious display, not many people willingly accept the other view point.  That’s why I must have grace with others, and know that there is a relationship and a person’s feelings worth keeping in tact.  Another idea to keep in mind is that even if someone feels ostracized or wounded by someone like you in the past, it is a perfect time to tend to that person and help reconcile. 

Ultimately, it’s God’s (and Holy Spirit’s) job to convict and condemn someone, and if he wants to work on them… let him.  But before I think that, I must remind myself that he might have to work on me on a topic too.  It is a two way street!

The other revelation that I had was while playing corn hole at the wedding, strangely enough.  As we were playing, a buddy of mine noticed that we were playing by a different set of rules.  Since I generally don’t play a whole lot, I did not notice.  He made a comment about it, and I recognized it shortly after.  We both decided that it was fine because we were having fun and that it was not worth starting a conflict.  Someone noticed that the board had a lot of traction and the beanbags would stop rather quickly.  I just laughed and said, “so that’s why I am playing better!” rather than trying to complain about everything.

Isn’t life that way sometime?  Sometimes the rules of the game are different than what we are used to or the situation is different, but we have the ability to either be tactful with the situation at hand or create issues.  I am not saying cooperate with something that is blatantly wrong or destructive, but there are certain things in life where just enjoying the game is more important than criticizing every flaw in the game.

So how does that relate to current events, you might ask?  In light of a lot of debates cropping up over politics, religion, and ethics, there is a huge failure to dialogue.  Rather than trying to tactfully understand what the other person thinks or feels, there is a judgment placed on them as right or wrong.  Whether it is Republican vs. Democrat, LGBT vs. Heterosexual, Christian vs. Non-Christian, both sides have blood on their hands somewhere and people generally nitpick.

The question is, are the fights that we are picking worth fighting or are we warring over non-essentials?  A friend once said, “Is that the hill that I want to die on?”  I hope that I can always ask myself that when I get into a conflict of interest with someone.  “Is this disagreement worth ruining what could be a good friendship, relationship, etc.?”

That being said, I can’t be overly sensitive to other people’s differences, read into other people’s opinions too much, look for fights, or get defensive.  People are so quick to call whatever it is “persecution”, “sexism”, “racism”, whatever, calm down.  This could be someone worth dialoguing with and learning from, so I have to keep the relationship in mind.  Also, being hyper-sensitive makes me look exceedingly immature.  

So the second point I have is that I need to weigh every circumstance and try to understand what the objections that I create will do.  In the case of the game, I could just wait for the game to be over and tactfully restore the order rather than abruptly stopping the game and complaining about the rules.  The former will be received much better than the latter.

In conclusion, differences should be looked at as opportunities to dialogue and build bridges.  If we continue to maintain an “us against them” mentality or act like martyrs when we face opposition, growth can never occur.  Just because one person did something, not everyone is wrong.  On the same token, because someone else wronged me it does not mean that I have a free pass to stereotype.  Instead, I have available to help anyone different than me because thats what Christ did.  As I close today, just remember, it is God’s job to work on individuals, including myself.  That’s why I must have humility with everyone and love them like Christ did.