From The Desk of David

It felt so fake. It was as if someone had aligned his teeth in a perfect smile, but its purpose was not to display happiness but rather to be polite, I was belittled. And there was no politeness to be found within those pearly whites, but rather I found frustration… The frustration that I was never given the opportunity to care for myself, but rather I was forced to accept this stranger’s help when I had no need for it. He offered the phrase, “have a nice day!” And flashed the seemingly false smile my way and then he departed.

I sit down and begin to eat, trying to not allow a victim mentality take over, something it seems I struggle to fight off more often than I should. I just wish that at times people would see beyond my disability and see that there is a person within my limited body. However, the world that is obsessed with looks rather than character, I will only be a disabled person to the average person. This is tough to swallow. I wish at times I could go up to people who unintentionally belittle me while serving me and say, “I appreciate your help but please don’t miss the fact that there is an actual person who is no different than you who lives in this state disabled body.” I must admit that at times this fact frustrates me and makes me feel lonely. I can’t help but at times feel as if I am nothing more than a boost of inspiration and self-confidence for some. I want to be more than people’s daily good deeds; I want to be their peer… Their friend…

As these unreliable thoughts begin running through my mind in the middle of the student center, Something interrupts me. Something redirects me.

“Don’t you think this is how the outcast of society feel when people simply come and offer physical support to them, but fail to walk alongside them through their brokenness?” The Holy Spirit questions me.

My heart ponders the question. How often do I, someone who claims to follow Christ, is quick to place money in a basket that will go to feeding homeless people in my community, but fail to show love to those people and walk with them through their hard times and their brokenness? I feel convicted.

Now there’s nothing wrong with giving money to feed the homeless but if we only succeed at offering them bread bought from the grocery store and fail at offering them the bread of life, what significance does our store-bought bread even have?

I open my Bible to the Gospels and is there I am faced with the story I’ve heard many times – it’s story of Jesus speaking to the woman at the well. As I reread the story, I noticed something. I notice that Jesus places a relationship with the woman over her need for water. You see, Jesus could have drawn that water up from that well all by Himself, He even could have made the water appear with nothing more than a simple utterance from His lips. But no, Jesus wanted a relationship with her. He wanted her His friendship which would ultimately turn into forgiveness for all her transgressions. And my oh my, she had transgressions… She had brokenness. Her heart felt the deepest stings of rejection by members of her own community. She had a broken heart but Jesus wasn’t afraid of her brokenness because He could offer her restoration of her broken heart.

Beloved church, have we abandoned this principle? Instead of serving broken people to offer them the thing that can heal their brokenness, we simply do it out of moral duty. I believe this limits us in our effectiveness to share the gospel. If we claim to follow Christ and pray to be more like Him, then should we not follow the model in which He set for us?

Jesus used acts of service to infiltrate people’s brokenness and ultimately restore them. This is what we should do to the ones around us. We can no longer settle for simply placing money in an offering basket but rather we must go and meet with the ones who need that money and while we serve them, we should offer them Good News.

Isn’t this the greatest act of service anyway? To offer one the message of the gospel is the greatest thing we, as mere mortals, could ever do for another. Loving your neighbor is more than feeding the homeless or fixing someone’s flat tire, it’s about presenting them the message of the cross, a message that will save their soul for eternity.

Oh, my dear church friends, we must abandon this self-serving servitude for it is not the servitude in which our Lord has called us to carry out. We must abandon it. Lost people don’t need our pity. They need our Lord. And they won’t find Him in our false smiles and egotistical service, they will find him in our friendships and our kindness.

Jesus, help us to lay aside our egos and self-sufficiency. Remind us that when we serve the broken and lost, it is not just about us fulfilling the calling in which You have imparted us with, but rather it is about meeting people in their brokenness and helping them to find the hope in which can only be found in You.

For His Glory,
David