I had been struggling to think of what I wanted to write for this month's blog. While I had lots of good ideas, nothing seemed right when I went to actually begin writing. My mind would not string together a cohesive thought. So instead of trying to write, I decided to set it aside and do the next best thing. I sat down with a cup of tea, turned on some music, and read one of the stack of books that I had informally been assigned to read these last six weeks.
I was working through my last one and found it very engaging. The book was all about working with cousins and what that could look like. (It was actually a book that had been recommended to me during one of my support raising meetings but I hadn't had a chance to read it yet.) It talks through the multiple differences between the beliefs of our cousins and ourselves. The author highlights that was our cousins truly need is the Son. And an accurate understanding of who the Son is in relation to the Father, the Helper, the prophets, and us. His approach is a long term approach. He doesn't encourage arguments that too often win the battle and cause you to lose the more important war of the heart. It is through genuine friendships and heartfelt conversations that you have opportunities to share the truth in which your friend will truly listen with mind and heart. Not every hard conversation needs to happen right away. Don't deny the truth but tell the story starting from the beginning and proceeding to the end.
It is interesting because there are so many different approaches of people who work among cousins. (And there is no one right perfect way.) Ultimately the Father does the work in the heart of the peoples and we are merely messengers. Of late I was with a group of co-workers and we learned about an approach called Friendship First. It is a great approach but a couple of the workers pushed back because they felt that it was not entirely feasible. How likely is it that you will be friends, not mere acquaintances, with so many people? And the time table is huge for the development of friendships before you can share. Your friends could move before you have a chance to share the full Truth. One of the workers spoke of cousins within his family. He spoke of how his mother and grandmother died without hope. "And they did not go to death with confidence. They fought and went with great fear." The team members favored a combination of methods because of the pure urgency and the huge magnitude of the task. There is this huge urgency to reach everyone with the Truth.
As I was sitting and contemplating urgency and slow methodical growth, a song began to play and the lyrics said, "We'll live while we're young." While not the point of the song, the juxtaposition of everything struck me. How often in today's culture are we taught to be selfish? There is this idea that the time is now for your best life. Now is the time to do what you wanted to do. To live your dream. We get so suck into self-discovery and happiness that we lose sight of the bigger picture.
Please don't misunderstand: I think it is a great idea to take time to reflect and understand yourself. And it is crucial that we "fill our tank" or take care of ourselves because otherwise we will burn out.
However, at the end of the day, this is not our story. We are not the main character. We are not even the funny sidekick that everyone actually loves more and is more invested in than the main love interest. Our goal should not be to be memorable. We are side characters in His story and while He does seek us and loves us, ultimately we should be focused on Him.
Many fellowships and brothers and sisters have lost the true focus. We have been lulled into complacency that tells us there is plenty of time. We are so caught up in the little day to day details of our own lives that we never lift our heads to see the bigger picture. I fall into this so often. I get caught up in my bubble. However, when we become willing to step out of our bubbles, we get to see the world. Only when we step out of our bubbles do we stop "doing fellowship" and become the Body. Only when we step out of our bubbles are we able to really see and love our neighbors.
I was talking to a co-worker who works as a mobilizer. We were discussing the local fellowships and the need to re-cast the global vision. We were lifting over the local brothers, that they would set aside their preconceived ideas and their fears, the lies that they have been listening to, and step up with love and humility. That they would be revitalized with passion and remember the sheer overwhelming magnitude of the love that we have received. And that we would not be content to hoard the hope we have.
There is an urgency that we get back to the true vision. An urgency that we reveal the love of the Son and the gift we have been given. It is a responsibility we all have in one way or another.