Do For One!

"Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone."
 - Andy Stanley

The sun was shining today so I decided to brave the below freezing temperatures and take our dog for a walk.  Once I made up my mind that I was going to go, I noticed that it was almost 10 am.  There are a couple radio programs on our local Christian radio station at 10 and 10:30 am.  I ran to my room to get my 3 dozen layers of clothes on (ok, maybe that is an exaggeration) so I could be outside in time to listen to the programs.  The first one was really good and I am going to pursue the book that they discussed (maybe I will share on that another time!).  I usually really like the 10 am program better than the 10:30 one but since I was still walking, I decided to keep listening.  Oh my goodness!  It was so good.

It was a sermon from Andy Stanley who is a pastor of the second largest church in the US.  He was talking about how we get overwhelmed by all of the bad things going on in our world.  He was saying that our responsibility is just the "one" that the Lord brings to us.  We can't solve all of the world's problems but we can affect the life of one.  He challenged the listener to "do for one what you wish you could do for everyone" over this next year.  He had three main points on how to do this:
  
1. Go deep rather than wide.
2. Go long-term rather than short-term.
3. Give time not just money.

Here is a link to the message.  I want to encourage you to listen to it!
Making a Resolution to Care - Andy Stanley

I "made" Don listen to it tonight after supper and his response was, "I just read this".  He is reading a book called Radical by David Platt.  The part that Don just read last night talks about how we tend to do the opposite of what Jesus did. We want to have the big programs and activities that bring in the crowds.  He gathered 12 around him and went "deep", "long-term" and gave his "time" to them.  He focused on them so that they could then focus on making disciples of others.  We tend to go wide because it is easier.  We tend to go short-term because we get tired of commitment.  We tend to just give money because it is quicker to write a check than it is to spend time with someone.

As we prepare to go to Guatemala in a week, this has hit me hard.  It gets overwhelming to see the needs and the poverty and the sickness of so many people.  We cannot make much of a difference to very many in 3 and a half weeks.  We can't change their living situations or their physical conditions and it takes time to speak to their hearts spiritually.  Are we really making a difference?

Hearing this message encourages us.  We have been making these trips since 2003.  This is our 9th trip to the highlands of Guatemala.  We know that this is where the Lord has called us to focus and "go deep".  We have relationships with those at both ministries where we serve.  We didn't know that we were in it for the "long-term" when we started but here we are almost 10 years later - still going, still serving and still wanting to make a difference.  It would be easier to send a check in MANY ways but the Lord has called us to invest our time.

So we go.  My prayer is that this year we don't focus on ALL the needs but instead listen to the Lord's voice as He brings the "one" into our path.  We pray that the Lord will show us how "to do for the one what we wish we could do for everyone."