I've been in Romania for 4 days.
It's an absolutely beautiful country and I've enjoyed every minute of it so far.
I'm staying with a couple that moved to the country with a heart for children and for following God's voice. Their main mission is to pour out their love to the children of Romania - to the underprivileged, the orphaned, the Gypsie, and the disabled. They show no discrimination but simply have a desire to be the hand and feet of a God who, as the song goes, "loves all the little children of the world."
However, while they live out the mission God called them to (and sacrificing quite a lot, I might add), they have another mission that's effects will long outlast their presence in Romania. Though this second mission is not stated outright, it is evident in their everyday lives and has inspired me and got me thinking. This mission is to demonstrate to the people around them - no matter where they are - how to love the way Jesus called us to love 2,000 years ago.
In their little village, they live out the Golden Rule. The other day, when a drunken man cut his arm and was tracking blood everywhere he went, the people of the village said to let him die. But this couple saw an opportunity to care for someone who had no one to care for him. When they returned, they remarked that the only reason they would ever be hated in the village was for something like that.
Oh, to be able to say that the only reason people would have for not liking me is that I helped others that they thought were undeserving!
I'm blown away by this (and mind you that this is absolutely NOT the only example of the way they love, just one of many examples). The reason I'm blown away by it is because this was the exact mission of Jesus. And he was hated for that very reason. People saw him help those that society deemed as unworthy - the gypsies, the drunken men, and the orphans of his time. He showed grace to prostitutes, dined with tax collectors, and washed the feet of fishermen.
So, no matter what mission God has sent you on, there is a common mission we should all have. To show love to those who are considered worthless. And to teach others to do the same. To live as an example of Christ's perfect love in a bitter, broken world. Just like this couple in Romania.
And for the record, showing Christ's love is not just "paying it forward" at the McDonalds drive thru. Showing CHRIST'S love is making yourself a servant to your self-promoting, porn-addicted boss who's got a serious attitude problem. Showing Christ's love is refusing to gossip about the girl who spread a rumor about you that isn't true, but instead encouraging her with kind words and thoughtful actions. Showing Christ's love is forgiving the man or woman that abused you. Loving the unlovable. The ones that the world says you have a justified reason to hate.
And the time to start is now. Stop thinking about how well you'll love others when you get enough money to be a full-time missionary in India. Stop depending on your future plans to open a Christian pregnancy clinic for underprivileged moms to give you credit in the "loving" department. Because if you can't love now, where you are, don't count on being able to love in this way later. This couple was loving radically long before God ever called them to Romania. In the corporate world of England, they were showing forgiveness and love to selfish, back-stabbing co-workers and bosses in ways that baffled these people and left them in awe of this nonsensical mercy they were shown. This was years before Romania. Show yourself worthy of the calling you've been given NOW. The one you're in right now. God does have a plan for your future, but He's also given you a mission right for this very moment.
So whether you're on mission in Africa or in Wal-mart's home office, there is one mission at hand - to love the way Jesus loved and still loves. We say that so often, but miss the gravity of that. If you love the way Jesus loved, you will NOT be liked by all people. In fact, some will hate you. It also won't be fun, as you're require to slay your pride daily and make nothing of your selfish desires. But the reward is priceless. To commune with a holy God is the highest satisfaction and joy in existence.
So go live in mission. And pour out every ounce of love you have and be filled by the One who's love never runs out, because Oh, How He Loves.
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