Boy meets world, when he should have met God

Last week (the night of the 23rd, to be exact) was a night like any other night. Everyone had gone to bed, and I was still up just studying the word and praying. After dozing off for a couple minutes, I decided it was high time to hit the sack. Before I could though, I had to take care of some business. When nature calls while you are traveling, you answer. Or it will answer for you. So I grab some TP, my headlamp, and unlock the door and head to the squatty potty which is only a short walk from the house. Coming back, maybe 2 or 3 minutes later, I looked up and thought I saw the shadow of a tall boy slipping out the door and around the corner carrying a bag. I honestly thought it was all in my head, but as I got closer to the door, I peered around the corner, and then went inside and bolted the door shut. I stood there in silence for maybe 5 minutes, trying to sort out what had happened. I went into the living room, and noticed that my camera was gone. But I had probably just misplaced it. I turned off the light, and just sat in the dark. Did we just get robbed?

Nah, I shook it off and went to bed. The next morning I was the last one to wake up, and I woke up to Lindsay walking in with a bunch of her things that she had found outside the house, and her bag was missing. Holy no. Oh gosh, no. We were robbed. It was my fault. I’m the one who left the door open. I let the team down, I should have known better. I am dissapointed in myself. I wish I could have come face to face with that little punk so I could have punched his lights out and gotten our stuff back.” So much was swarming my head in that moment. The team as a whole started to worship God with out morning devoltional. We turned on the ipod and hit up a playlist and just worshiped together. Through that, God worked something deep in my soul. He told me, “if people are still stealing, our ministry isn’t over. I love that boy. I am weeping for that boy to know Me, that the boy desperately needs Me. Forgive this man, don’t let this fester in your heart. I love this boy. You love him too. He needs me as much as you need me, as much as everyone needs me. Desperately. Deeply. Whenever you minister to someone, imagine this young boy in the background who needs to know about my love for him. Who needs to hear that I have better plans for him.”

 

Reality is, God protected our team in a big way. I remember just the day before as Lauren and I were getting our hair weaved (yes mom, weaved) the Holy Spirit gave me a huge urgency to pray for protection for the team. I dropped any conversation we were having and just prayed my heart and soul out for protection. And the next morning I learned how faithful God is. This boy could have stolen so much more, he could have hurt me, hurt my team mates. But God protected us and kept us under his wing. 

 

I wish I could leave my front door open all the time. I would leave my entire pack, my money, passport, ipod, anything, outside if it meant that I could meet this boy face to face. Take my everything, but hear this message: God loves you. Deeply loves you. He desires all of you, He is jealous for all of you.

 

God is my source. I don’t need anything in this world but Him. Bring on trials, bring on pain. Take everything you can from me, because I don’t place worth in it any longer. I have Christ. And He is enough for me.  And oh, how he loves us. He loves us all. I can’t get that song out of my head these days. An affliction eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me. And I don’t have time to maintain these regret when I think about the way that You love us.

 

This is love. This is what God’s love is like, and what the love we should clothe ourselves in and give to others looks like.1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient and kind;love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.”

 

And then tells us to love our enemies in that way.

Luke 6:27-31 “Love you enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who persecute you. To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

 

Join me in prayer for this boy. Join me in prayer for all those who are hurting. For us as believers to have a deep passion for sharing this message to people. Because God’s love is urgent, and His message is urgent. So let’s go, boldly, confidently, into the world and share God’s love. I’ll see you there.