Jesus is My Role-Model

As I read my chosen title for this entry, I feel silly. It seems obvious, doesn't it? That Jesus should be my role-model?

Allow me to start at the beginning, that you may understand the inspiration for this post, because I can by no means take credit.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the 50th anniversary, to be exact. Concordia had a wonderful speaker, a man from the westside of Chicago named Pastor James Brooks. His message is so inspiring for anyone who has a passion for helping others. He works in an urban church in Lawndale, a suburb with few resources, so few that there's not even a grocery store in the community. The statistics there are some of the worst I've heard, considering the town is in America.

Can I take a moment to go on a tangent? America. What comes to your mind? For me, it's red, white, and blue, the Statue of Liberty, videos of waving presidents, nice cars, manicured lawns and nails, shopping malls, laughing teens, smiling babies, and happy couples. This is the picture of American that has been painted in my mind. Now come back, back to the reality. Come back to the unemployment that reaches 25% in some urban communities. Come back to the broken families, to the high rate of poor literacy, or total illiteracy among students and adults. Come back to the young and single mothers, the violence rates, the prison rates, the homicide rates. Come back to the danger of walking on the streets, the fear of going hungry, and the poverty rates.

I don't know where you or where you've been. I don't know your life story or experiences. Here's what I do know: my life has been nothing like that. I've lived in areas where kids play in the streets, where young girls can walk alone and unafraid, where nearly 100% of kids graduate high school, and where we can afford to go to Wal-Mart as often as we like. I am comfortable, happy, content, secure. 

I know I've written before that the idea of living in Russia is scary to me; how incredibly selfish of me. This is where my post title comes into play. Jesus, my Savior and your's. This Son of God, perfect in every way, came down from heaven to be among us. He became flesh, and came to live in a world of injustice, hate, and fear. He came and became one of us, connected with us, built a relationship with us, loved us. He left heaven. I think I need to let that sink in. Jesus. Left. HEAVEN. To be with humans.

And I'm scared to go to Russia, to leave my familiar lifestyle. Lord, forgive my selfish nature!

Jesus did mission work right. That sounds obvious, but he didn't just come, give us hugs, and then leave. He equipped us for salvation. He gave us leaders: the disciples. He gave us lessons: his parables. He gave us resources: The Lord's Supper. He spent around 33 years making sure we were ready to live without his physical presence.

God's just amazing, and I see it more and more, every single day. Pastor Brooks reminded me of so many aspects of ministry today, including the need for missionaries to live among the people and how important it is to empower those who we reach out to. No matter how long I live in Russia, it won't be forever. Nobody lives on this earth forever. If we want to continue to insure that lives improve and God's saving Word is spread, we are called to make sure that the people we work with become leaders themselves.

That's why we do work in the orphanages. Those babies, who have nobody, who are growing up in a society without religion and where wives can be legally beat, they already have influence. They may not know it, but they are the leaders of Russia. They're the ones who are next in line to create a better society. That's my mission: to share God's potential for them! They have so much power, those little ones. So much opportunity to change their own lives and the lives of those around them. I can only pray that they continue to grow in Christ, and to share Him more and more as they grow up.

I need to apologize if this post comes across as scatter-brained. I'm actually (and this is just proof of how ADD I am sometimes...) writing this in my World Civ II notebook until I can type it out later this afternoon. (Sorry, Professor Phillips...)

I know I've said this several times, and I'll continue to say it, over and over: You are a gift. I don't care if you're reading this and I've never met you, You. Are. A. Gift. Whether or not you know it, you're constantly touching someone's life. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, (sorry, couldn't resist,) is everywhere. It's where you are, right now. If you're making friends with the new girl on your hall (shout out to my new friend Krysten!), if you're praying for the homeless man you pass on the street, if you support a child through Compassion International, if you drop off a can of soup at the food bank, etc., God's using you, no matter what.

To quote Pastor Brooks today: We are the light of the world. What good are we doing if we're staying in the well-lighted places? We need to go and seek out the dark places, and start to light those places.

I know this one was long, but thanks for reading, thanks for hoping, thanks for praying. You are a gift in my life, to say the least. :)

Blessings on all that you do!