A very very very brief background...
The theme for this year at the church that I attend is 'Servanthood'
As a church we are focusing on our title as servants of God and what we can do to bless and love our neighbors. We are also reading
Hole In Our Gospel written by Richard Stearns (president of World Vision),
...and at the beginning of every week we are asking God, "Who can I serve this week?" otherwise known as the Monday Mandate.
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Every week has been different. Sometimes God makes it very clear to me who I should serve and how I should go about doing it, and sometimes it's more of a random prompt while I go about my day. Today, God answered me with the latter.
Since I realized I still had money on my Crate&Barrel gift card (I LOVE gift cards), I drove over to Beverly Hills to pick up some cooking supplies. I had to circle the block 3 times to find parking, and each time without fail, I got stuck at a red light next to a lady with a sign asking for money or food. I knew what I had to do even though it was out of the way and I was on a time restraint. I parked my car, walked over to Starbucks (I had a gift card. I LOVE gift cards), picked up food and tea, and walked it over to the lady who hadn't moved from that corner. I spoke to her briefly as she took the food and drink, and went on my way. As I walked down Beverly Drive, I was angry. Here were hundreds of people shopping and dining at overpriced cafes, and simply turning a blind eye to someone who just needed a little bit of help. I was discourage, frustrated, and so angry.
To add to it, I saw this on my Facebook feed.
I love Stephen Colbert, and this quote is so convicting.
I let all of this stir in my heart while I finished running some errands and drove home. With a little push from the Spirit, my anger and frustration had eventually turned into hope.
Religion that our God accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
The anger I felt was me being "polluted by the world." In reality, what I felt was just a teeny tiny taste of an answered prayer. See, as scared as this makes me, I have been praying that God will help me to see, hear, feel, and love the way that He does. I want to be someone who see's opportunities to serve all around and takes action. There is going to be a lot to learn.
I don't like the idea of blogging about my weekly Monday Mandates but this was just something that I wanted to share.
