Wow. It's been a while, huh? I haven't had a lot of time to be blogging. I've had a hard time even finding the time to read my Bible, which is bad. But I finally got up at a decent hour to day and was able to just spend some time reading, and my Uncle Kyle and I have been having some really intense conversations, and so I just wanted to take some time to sit down and share my heart with you guys, and get my thoughts organized. Because I organize my thoughts by writing them out. :)
The discussion Kyle and I have been having is about having the attitude of Christ. What was Christ's attitude? And if we are to have His mindset, how then, shall we be living? And how does this affect our ministry?
I think the biggest thing is being humble. It's looking at the hobo on the street, or the guy falling off his bar stool and remembering that really, we're no better, and, if not for Christ in us, we could and probably would be in the exact same place. At least for me, I'm pretty convinced that I would be a partying wild child if not for having Christ in my life. I think that's what's important to remember: it's not that WE are better, in and of ourselves, it's that we have been SAVED from that kind of lifestyle, and from all the heartache that comes with it, by our salvation through Jesus Christ and by living according to His will.
I love all the stories about Christ sitting with the tax collectors and the harlots, and how He was so looked down upon for it, because my feeling is, this is where we see Christ's heart, and therefore God's heart. I think that Christ's actions show that God is a very "hands-on" God, and that He desires for us to be "hands-on" in our ministry. I think He desires us to be actively seeking people, and in actively seeking, meeting them where they are.
I think what people need to see is that God takes their burdens away, and I think the best way to show them that is by coming alongside them and helping them shoulder that burden, giving them an example of Christ's hands-on love. And I think that means...well, meeting them where they are, and maybe getting our hands dirty once in a while. Maybe even getting our reputations dirty. There's no doubt about it, if you go into a bar, people are going to assume a lot, but I think there are a lot of people sitting in those bars who need Christ. How can we reach them if we're not there? It's pretty unlikely that they're going to stumble their way into church. If they're not coming to church, then we need to be going to them.
And I think the biggest thing in all this is to be humble, to not think of ourselves as "too good" to get down and dirty. We are not above anyone, but in order for THEM to see that, we have to get on their level, wherever that is.
So I guess, that is my heart, and that is my goal. To love people first and foremost, and above and beyond what someone else may love them; to meet people where they are and to show them God's "hands-on" love. That is my heart.
xoxo,
Erika Rose
P.S. Does Hands On Love sound like a poem or a song title to anyone else, or is that just me? Sounds like I've got some work to do. ;)
