While having coffee with a friend of mine this morning, he shared a story that really spoke to me. After finishing school, he volunteered with the IEC in his hometown in South Africa. This was 1994. The eve of the 1st democratic election in that country’s history. It was an emotional time for all South Africans. On the one hand people were excited about the change taking place. On the other, some were nervous about the future.
While manning one of the voting stations, some of the officials noticed an old black lady who had been in a voting booth for, what seemed, an eternity. They asked her whether she needed any help. Her response was, “The person I want to vote for is not on the paper.” Wanting to know which name she was looking for, she answered, “Jesus!” Now I’m a pretty tough guy but that brought tears to my eyes.
We get so caught up in our everyday lives, that we even start living past God. There’s work, and kids and homework and sport and TV and Facebook and blogs and cooking and commuting and, and, and… You see, God shouldn’t be given a separate compartment in our lives. He should get everything, because everything we have comes from him – including that breath you just took and that beat your heart just gave. He also gave His all to us, why should we then be content to give Him our “leftover” time?
The challenge we are facing (and it’s becoming harder each day) is to live the life that Jesus is calling us to live. There are too many of us Christians who are silent about our faith. I’m not talking about being vocal by judging others! I am talking about being heard through our actions. Our actions of love and acceptance need to shout so loud, that our words drown in the noise. That doesn’t mean accepting what the world is doing! It means living a “Jesus life” that shows you love, even if you don’t condone.
Have an amazing day!
Mark Davidson
