Chris Rice sings a song that says:
"You'd think I'd Have it Right by now...been practicing for 30 years...It seems I've walked a thousand miles...then what am I still doing here?"
I think the most frustrating thing about walking with Christ is the fact that I'm nowhere near where I should be in the faith. Last night we had some friends over to help put together a playground that another friend had donated...Everything was going well until the neighborhood kids started causing problems. We live in a wonderful neighborhood but there are a few houses on the corner where the kids have little or no supervision...They constantly clog the streets, cause problems, and generally do whatever they want.
My habit in the past has been to be nice and talk to them...Better to make friends than to have your house egged at night right? Well, when Christina came home from work the kids on the corner moved very slowly to get out of the street and one young kid hit our van pretending to be hit by the vehicle as she drove by. When she came home and told me about that incident I got in our van and drove up the street to "lovingly talk" to the culprit. Needless to say the kids all claimed ignorance and we're innocent of any wrongdoing. I asked to speak to their parents and they all walked away...
Back to my original story...later that night while putting together the plaground set a few of our friends noticed kids trying to get into an elderly neighbor's vehicle. (This old man lives between our house and the "corner kids.") I lost my temper and ran after the same kids...yelling at them to come back...generally making a fool of myself before thinking. I called the Lakewood Police and they came to investigate. The officer lives in our neighborhood and he told me he deals with these kids all the time. They all had excuses and promised to be good. (Again no parents coming to defend or discipline!) I shook hands with the kids, asked them their names and told them I didn't want to be the grouchy neighbor that always called the cops but that they needed to respect our community.
One kid was named Harley and one was named skooter. As I lay in bed that night I wondered if those kids (about 10-13 of them) had anyone to tell them about God's love. I wondered if they went to bed at night hungry. I wondered what their home life was like and I became sad that I was failing as a neighborhood minister. Why do I need to go to Iraq to witness for Christ when the kids on my street are living without God?
Please pray that I bear the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control when dealing with the kids in my neighborhood.
One of these days Lord....one of these days I'll be where I need to be...
2 comments:
Did you read that article in Readers Digest this month about the Jewish family that invited the street thugs into their and their children's lives? Their destiny has been changed forever.
As I study the great men of God, I find over and over again a willingness to open their homes and their hearts to the less fortunate, especially, "children of the street." I think when you have that desire, it's a sign that Jesus is truly living and working in you. Don't squelch it or let the opportunily pass you by. He loves the little children more than we can ever imagine.
I challenge you to take the risk! Invite them over for a bar-b-que. Let them know that everything in this life is not harsh and cruel. Let each of them know that they were created for a purpose. Invite them to eternal life.
I'm anxious to hear how the barbeque goes.....
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