Sick of My Status Quo

I came across the following post on a fellow adoptive mama's blog.  She and her family of 9 picked up and moved to Guatemala to help run an orphanage there.  Her post was too profound not to include today, so here it is.
Oh, and I am reading a book that was recommended to me by friends Rebecca and Caleb David (whom we met while in Ethiopia) entitled "Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" and I must say - my desire to live more than the status quo in my faith is churning in my stomach.  The past month I have literally had stomach aches due to feeling "sick" of my own lack of longing to love until it hurts because of Jesus' love for me.  Not sure what this all means for me yet, but thought I'd share it anyway...

Sometimes, we find it easiest to look the other way. 

Sometimes, we believe He isn't talking to us. 

Sometimes, we figure someone else will do it. 

Sometimes, we blow it off as someone elses responsibility. 

But what if... God meant for you to do it? 

As we were talking to someone the other day about support for our mission work we heard the all to common comment of 'go ask this church- or go ask that church'.

But what I sometimes think we forget is WE ARE THE CHURCH. 

And often times we use the church as our excuse to not have to do what we are called as individuals to do. 

We hide behind the title 'the church' and forget the church is made up of individual Christ followers who are all to do their own part. 

Because after all, He is a personal God. 

Personal to me- and personal to you. 

While the church as a whole is powerful enough to knock out the orphan crisis- it's going to take all of us to do our part to make it happen- or it never will. 

And yet all too often we sit and we wait... 

For someone else to take care of the problem... 

For someone else to give... 

For someone else to serve... 

For someone else to do something about it... 

And we excuse ourselves of our individual responsibility. 

When perhaps He was talking to us all along... 

In the past I have talked a lot on my blog about our ties to money- and what the Lord has been teaching us. As we are raising funds for missions, more than ever before, our eyes are being opened to our cultures connection to the almighty dollar.

And more than ever before- I see how clearly it is the one thing that is bringing us, as a nation, down. 

Our love for things... 

and our love of self... 

Over our love for Him. 

I came across this picture the other day and I felt like someone punched me in the gut. I wondered how someone could just look the other way and go on without doing something to help? 



But then it hit me.. 

Aren't we, in essence, doing this exact thing when we- choose that $6.00 latte over giving to missions? 

When we choose to take a family vacation instead of giving our tithe? 

Choose to have a pedicure over sponsoring a child in need? 

Choose to look the other way as the homeless man sits on the corner begging for our help? 

Choose a bigger house over adopting a child? 

Choose to do nothing- when we could do something?

Choose not to respond.

Roman 14:12 tells us "Each of us will give an account of himself to God."

Belonging to a church isn't enough. 

Each one of us, individually, are accountable to God for what we have done for the poor, the helpless, the widow and the orphan. 

I once heard someone say the only thing worse than being lost- is being lost and knowing there is no one looking for you. As the body of Christ I believe the Lord is calling each one of us- as individuals- to open our eyes and LOOK. Look for the need and act. 

Give. 

Serve. 

Love. 

Take it personal- 

Because He does.