Cafeteria Lovers of Jesus
What would Christianity look like if everyone served like you and me? A pastor recently asked that question, and it stopped me in my tracks. If I were the face of my religion, would I take it a lot more seriously? How many hours a day would be given to evangelizing, to sharing the gospel with people with whom I come in contact, to sacrificially loving the unlovely? What if discipleship depended on you and me as we are right now? Would our smorgasbord witness make a difference? You know, a little of this, a lot of that…but only when we aren’t inconvenienced. Serving when it doesn’t cost a lot of time, talent or money. Sharing a little bit of gospel…enough not to be embarrassed or lose friendships. Being angry or judgmental or complaining instead of faithful. Forgetting that we have nothing except what God has given us and can do nothing except what He enables us to do.
My friends and I recently were introduced to the plight of “Selah,” a hard-working, determined, single mother of four who has found herself in trouble. A failed marriage to an abusive man has caused this immigrant to provide for her children single handedly by getting her masters’ degree while at the same time cleaning houses and working part-time at the college. Selah has been without transportation and was borrowing a friend’s vehicle until she could finish school and get a full-time job. But then the car’s loaner needed her vehicle back.
That’s when Selah’s boss told my girlfriends and me about her situation. Could we help? A used car had been located. We made contributions, but I knew our small group could not put together the numbers needed to buy Selah a car. I was wrong. Some must have been much more generous than others, me included. Within a day, the money was raised to purchase this desperate woman the transportation she needed.
Jesus teaches that serving others is the same as serving him. “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) I have to believe that if Jesus appeared to me today and asked for my car, I would not think twice about handing him my keys, so why didn’t I do that for this woman in need? I have a bike. I have two legs. How sincere is my faith when my first thought was to make sure I had my transportation needs met instead of helping her?
Somehow, taking cookies to an ailing neighbor or running errands for a friend or giving clothes to the needy or even tithing is easy compared to being inconvenienced, but inconvenience is more in line with what Jesus wants. In Romans 16, Paul cites several people who sacrificed for the ministry. At the top of the list—for good reason—are Priscilla and Aquila, a couple who were kicked out of their home and had to take their tent-making business elsewhere. On that journey they met Paul and risked their lives for him – and probably for the gospel as well. Being inconvenienced was not an excuse for them to quit working; it was simply God leading them to rely on Him.
We can never forget that Jesus died for you and me. Compared to that, giving up my car should have been no big deal. I need to remember that in the future, but something tells me that I probably won’t.
By Patty LaRoche