Open Your Eyes

During this last week I have been thinking a lot about situations. If there is one thing I have learned in inner-city children's ministry, and for that matter all ministry, is that situations are key. In the book Situations Matter, that I discussed last time, says "It takes a jolt of the unfamiliar to remind you just how blind you are to your regular surroundings." WOW!

We get use to so many things that we start missing the many people that are around you and therefor miss important opportunities to share God's Message with them. As I read in Barefoot, "We feel bad. We recognize need. We talk about it with others, buy the T-Shirt, and even read the books. But so often we fall short of doing anything. We hear about the need and sympathize. But that is not compassion.

We need to open our eyes to those around us and not wait for that jolt of the unfamiliar to be reminded. There is an amazing book by Jonathan Kozol, who is one of my favorite authors of non-fiction books, called Rachel and Her Children. This is a book on homelessness in NYC. It gives us a peak into the real lives of homeless families. You see past the assumptions and truly get to know the people. So many times we judge people by pre-conceived ideas that we might have about them, whether it is because of their age, race, gender, sexual preferences, their family, or even past mistakes.

We need to view others through the lens of Christ. They are someone who is loved by God so much that He sent His Son to die for them. Don't wait! Start today looking beyond the familiar. Get to really know the families you work with. Ask genuine questions and take your ministry to a whole new level where situations do actually matter.