The Least, the Last, and the Lost

I don't know about you, but I wish I could sometimes install an off switch for my mind. It never seems to stop thinking about things, analyzing, processing, etc. This can be good, or sometimes not so great, and ALWAYS annoying. :)

Well, lately I find myself in a very discontented place in terms of community.

Ya know, I look at these pictures of children who have been abused, and my heart is saddened. But what speaks even louder to my soul is this thought-- I wonder just how many of you feel like that in the inside at times. This beaten, bruised, lonely and desperate for relief-- feelings in YOU. We all have them at times. These can be things that were put in you from others, or things you put in there yourself. But so often we stick to the surface, and portray this persona of strength.

And I guess my soul is just tired of that. Tired of it within myself, and tired of it within others.

It continues to be increasingly hard to break through this in people, and I'm not sure if my ways of going about it are wrong, or if people's walls are just that much more stronger. But my soul LONGS for these deep connections and seeing God work amongst them in their weaknesses.

As I continue to pray through this feeling of discontent, I am beginning to feel a pull towards being in community with the least, the last and the lost. I feel like God may be calling me to prayerful seek out a few people from maybe Hawaiian Gardens, who are homeless, and even those struggling with addictions.

I think so often, we consider them our ministry, rather than our friends, or our community. We look for those like us, and call them friends. Yet, what I'm finding, hopefully not sounding judgmental, is that we tend to forget our brokenness. But ya know, those on the street, struggling with problems, addictions, joblessness, etc. They know that they are broken. They know that they are lost. There's no hiding the stench on their clothes, or the hunger in their stomach or the tracers on their arm from shooting up. And that my friends, sounds sooooo appealing to me, and so refreshing to me.

I don't want to live in the comforts of my warm home, and nice car and forget my brokenness. But I want to be emersed in it. I want to daily face it, and not just live in the memory of a story of brokenness. I want to sit with those that struggle and don't have it figured out. I want to sit with those who are lonely. Because that's each of us...despite how we hide it. Well, that's at least me, I'll admit it.

Henri Nouwen has a beautiful quote that talks about this very thing. He says.... "We need to be angels for each other, to give each other strength and consolation. Because only when we fully realize that the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cup of joy will we be able to drink it."

I think this is part of the reason why Jesus was always found spending time with the least, the last and the lost. I think not only did He want to share about His father with them, but because they knew something about brokenness and being lost...and Jesus came for such as those.

I want THAT type of community. How 'bout you?