Musings in Uncertainty

I was running, and I hit a wall.

Then, when the shock lifted and the dust settled, I found myself at a crossroads. 

Questions swirl through my mind: “Do I? Should I? What if I?”

All telling of the conundrum I find myself in

Between choosing a life I once knew and loved,

A life I could easily settle back into,

Or… staying and waiting for something to give so I can enter into a new place

The place I had hoped I’d be by now.

Do I stay or do I go?

Should I work or should I wait?

What if I…

How do you rest in a whirlwind of unknowns?

When all of your best laid plans get caught in an upward drift

And remain suspended in mid air,

Do you continue on the path of uncertainty

Or lay knew plans with your own machinations?

Oh, but the echo of His Word:

“Be still and know that I am God."[1]

That should be enough to defy the temptations.

For true rest isn’t found in the knowing,

It’s found in the only constant that always existed:

Jesus is Lord.

Long before the world we know was created

And far after it ceases to be,

He will be… and remains Lord. 

He is the only constant we can lean on,

The only truth there is to know.

Unknowns fall away when our eyes are set on Him,

And the path becomes clear.

After all, the light of all life is found in Him,

And with Him, darkness is no longer darkness. 

My questions are misplaced,

Because that miserable “I” has been their focal point.

The best focal point is Jesus,

And I’ve decided that my questions should follow the way of the answers.

Let them begin and end with Him.

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[1] Proverbs 46:10

Heart of Compassion

My brothers often joke that I run towards danger, saying, "If a country is in war, she's on her way there." This is somewhat accurate, although the purpose behind my desire to visit these war-torn places is often overlooked.  Truthfully, I love adventure and I am a thrill seeker, but I don't see thrills in war. I see broken people. I see people who are losing loved ones, homes, and hope.  I see people in need of compassion and love. That's what's most important, not the place nor the conditions, but the people. My eagerness in going to these countries is not the thrill of danger, but a love for the people being affected by the turmoil around them. Most of them can't get away, so why not go to them?

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells his disciples to pray for laborers to be sent into His harvest. This verse is often quoted with little regard to the context. Indeed, there is a need for laborers, but there is an even greater need for laborers with compassion.  Verse 35 and 36 say,

"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

Did you get it? "He was moved with compassion for them." Then comes verses 37 and 38:

"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

I am convinced that we need more laborers in the harvest, but I am even more convinced that it is detrimental to send laborers who lack compassion. For too long, nations have been wounded by Christians who chose to judge them rather than love them. It was this type of judgment that the religious leaders of Jesus' time slung at the multitude. The people had judgmental leaders, but no shepherd, no voice of compassion, no voice of love. Jesus was that voice for them. In John 12:47, Jesus explains that He did not come to judge the world but to save it. I believe that salvation ultimately comes from love. Love is the driving force that sent our Savior to the cross. If judgment had been His purpose, we all would be condemned and none would be saved. So, let's remember that love drew us to the cross and into the arms of the blameless One who took our judgment upon Himself. Then, let's turn around and offer that love to those around us. And finally, as we pray for the salvation of the nations, let's pray for the laborers to be sent and that these sent laborers would carry a heart of compassion as Jesus did.