There was a haze in the air tonight. You couldn't tell it right around you, but on the horizon, interrupted by dark mountains, it transformed the sunset into a dulled version of what could have been. Red and orange turned a soft pink and yellow completely disappeared into the backdrop of the sky. No clouds. Only variations of blue, expansive blue, that darkened as you moved your eyes away from the sunset toward the east. This evening felt strangely familiar. It didn't seem all that different from some of the sunsets I've seen in central North Carolina or southeast Alabama or from some of the evenings I've spent in southwest South Dakota. If you took a second to look up tonight, we were looking at the same sun, the same sky, and, before long, we'd be looking at the same stars. Tonight the sunset reminded me:
We're all in the same place, just different locations.
In America, I was surrounded every day by people who were happy, sad, frustrated, broken, alone, apathetic, angry, helpless, capable, cynical, poor, rich, joyful, and miserable. In Honduras, I am surrounded every day by people who are happy, sad, frustrated, broken, alone, apathetic, angry, helpless, capable, cynical, poor, rich, joyful, and miserable. Funny how that works. When I left the States, I expected to find myself in a different place. Turns out, I just traded landscapes. I've learned that it doesn't really matter where you are in terms of latitude and longitude, you're always among the same people. Sure, cultures change, skin colors change, languages change, and governments change, but in the grand scheme of things, we're all just lost souls trying to find an identity. For some, that identity is wrapped up in trying to survive until the next day. For many, they've found themselves in their abilities, in their money, or in their prestige. For others, they've found themselves in a job, a girl, a bottle, or a pill. And there're still those who've found themselves in a false god: Buddha, Allah, or their own version of Jesus. So you see, Honduras isn't all that different from the Bible belt which isn't all that different from the Horn of Africa which isn't all that different from London, or Tokyo, or Paris, or LA.
Hands down, the most unifying characteristic that we all share, regardless of hemisphere, political party, social status, or whether or not we've been blessed enough to have ever eaten at Bojangle's, is that we are all hopeless sinners desperately in need of a Savior. Christian, can we please stop putting so much stock into where we are and start working out our salvation based on who we are in Christ? I'm convinced that we will never reach our potential to make disciples and multiply the kingdom until we do so. You are a child of God, redeemed from the dead by the precious blood of the Son, and empowered daily by the Holy Spirit to live a life of righteousness. That is who you are in Christ and you "have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations." Your status as a child of God means that you are now commissioned for bringing about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. This commission is reiterated multiple times in Scripture. "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations…." "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Paul even once asked for prayer that every time he opened his mouth he would "boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel."
I hope you see that you are who you are in Christ so that you share Christ and his gospel with those around you. It's not reserved for Superchristians, or missionaries, or pastors, but it's something that every child of God is redeemed to do. Be assured, one day, when you stand in front of an all holy God who asks you what you did with his Son, you won't be able to say that you accepted him but didn’t tell others about him because you weren't called to be an overseas missionary or pastor. That won't fly because no matter where you live and no matter what title you claim, you are surrounded by people who can't find their identity. The person around the corner from you in Birmingham is the same person around the corner from me in Siguatepeque. Maybe a different skin color, language, or social class, but still the same person: hopeless sinner desperately in need of a Savior. The person that sits two seats down from you in Calculus is the same person that is working two doors down from my house: hopeless sinner desperately in need of a Savior.
So you see, we're all in the same place, just different locations. Life happens in Honduras just like it does in America. People fail, they succeed, they're happy, they're not content, they're rich, they're poor. They live in a cruel world because they lost money in the stock market or because they got sick from a water parasite. There is no room to hide behind the safety and comfort of our everyday lives, that's too dangerous and you were redeemed for far more than that. So whether you live in the suburbs or the Sahara, you are who you are in Christ for the same reason: to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. Don't be fooled by the culture, the language, or the circumstances around you…
…were all in the same place, just different locations.
No comments:
Post a Comment