Going Vertical and Horizontal
Let’s face it. We live in a jacked up world. The problems are endless and it seems like some days everything and everyone is against you. Ever feel that way? I think we all have our moments of feeling like it is our turn to be tied to the whipping post.
I heard a quote from a pastor in Harlem. “If all you have is a relationship with God and have no relationship with people, you only have a stick, not a cross.” I like that, but the opposite is also true. If all you have is a relationship with people and no relationship with God, you still only have a stick, not a cross. Pretty deep thought either way.
We are called to be like Jesus. He loves people not just for who they are, but for who He knows they CAN be. Jesus sees the potential in people and has a way of drawing it out of us, even if we don’t see it ourselves. I think that is one of the reasons I like teaching kids. I can often see the potential in them that they don’t see in themselves.
We are all called to give of whatever God has entrusted to us. Sara Schecter is a member of my church and a Head of Oakridge School in Arlington, TX. She exemplifies the love of Christ. Recently her story of unselfish love went viral. She had three boys in her school, and their dad needed a kidney. She found out about it and ended up giving him one of her kidneys. It turned out she was a perfect match. She happens to be white and the family is black, but that did not matter in God’s scheme of things. The dad never even asked to be put on a list for a donor! Ms. Schecter just could not bear the thought of the three boys living without their father when she had the means of helping them. Wow. That is amazing love!
That is the type of love we are to have for one another. In a jacked up world, it only takes a simple act of love to change the world for those we encounter. The beauty is that it also changes OUR world. That truly is a win-win situation. That is how we can change the world…one life at a time.
Shalom!
Daniel Skognes