Tuesday, June 17, 2008

"I just wanna get off the floor"

I got a phone call from a young woman today who had been told that I might be able to help her out. "I'm just looking for a bed" she said. "I'm nine months pregnant and I'm sleeping on the floor. Do you have one?"
Every time I get these calls a number of thoughts go through my mind...and most times they head right out my mouth! My wife says that my filter doesn't work all the time. I kind of think it's like the filters I've heard they have at Niagara Falls. The first filter they have stops really big things, like trees and whatnot. The size of the screen gradually gets smaller and smaller until until the water finally passes through, at some point down the road somewhere, a filter so small that it's drinkable.
My "Spiritual filter" is like that. When I hear of large injustices and atrocities against the image-bearers of God, my "large outcry" passes through a very large filter. The result is that most things get through.
My response to this girl was "not tonight, nor tomorrow night. I have a bed for you."
Now, if I were of the true mind of Christ, the size of the injustice would have no correlation to the depth of my pain and anguish to the injustice. The heart of God breaks for all things that further batter the broken race of Adam. Can you imagine that? No "degree" of importance, good or bad. That is what Grace and Mercy are all about.
So, this afternoon as I'm bringing a bed to a young mother who has made a heroic decision to raise her child and honor life...my heart will both leap and break. It will leap because I will be a small part of the ministry of helping undo the effects of a sin-stained world...and it will weep because I will be reminded that my heart is far from being like that of Christs. God is so good. Blessings to you all.
b

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good words.