I had a prof say that to my class last semester. We covered some deep topics: sex trafficking, human slavery, HIV/AIDS, third world economics, and first world urban poverty. The list could go on.
And the weekends. Of course we can't forget the class simulation weekends.
Three days as a homeless person.
Three days as a refugee.
I still have flashbacks from time to time. Things that wouldn't be proper to write through this venue.
You'll just have to take the classes or ask me sometime.
But yeah, flashbacks. I talked with a friend the other day who mentioned dreaming about the weekend. Tonight, as I tossed and turned, I had images of events pop back into my head. I had the prayer I constantly recited to myself as a "refugee" that weekend come back to me, with all the mental images that went with it.
I already couldn't sleep--and now thoughts of third world refugees, Swahili phrases I'm learning, and the gospel of Jesus to all ethnic groups were crowding my head. So it was time to go find a 24-hour coffee shop and write.
Little did I know at the time, but there's not a single coffee shop lobby open at this hour in all of Westerville, Gahanna, or New Albany. Talk about a disappointment.
But, as I tend to do from time-to-time, I prayed as I drove. I started running through any and all thoughts that decided to come invade my cranium at that moment. It's not that uncommon.
I started thinking about how I ended up in Columbus this summer, of all places.
I started thinking about how I want to impact people and wondering how and where I'll do it.
I started thinking about how I get to go to Africa in a few weeks and whether I'll end up living there.
I started thinking about how I am so thankful for learning to see potential in the inner city.
Lots of questions, yeah. It'd be a lie to say I don't have questions.
I mean, who doesn't, right?
But Christianity has to be all or nothing. My favorite theologian (because every blog post should have at least one CS Lewis quote in it) says it best:"Christianity, if false, is of no importance; and if true, is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
Everybody's living for something.
But at the end of the day, you better make sure it's going to make a difference.
I've always been an athlete. I've played hockey and soccer since I was just a little kid. We won city championships, division awards, and district titles. It was awesome. But when it's all over, if those victories are all I got out of life, I'd be pretty bummed out.
You've got to find a way to impact people and to do so on both a present and future level. It's not enough just to say "Here's how to get to heaven, but I don't care about your situation right now." That's bogus. Neither is it enough to say "Let me help alleviate your situation now, for that's all that matters." That's just as bogus.
People are both physical and spiritual beings.
Impact people. Change the world by changing one individual life at a time.
Just don't sit there assuming someone else will fix the problem. Get on board. Educate yourself.
Let others educate, pour into, and mentor you.
It's all or nothing, folks.
I've finished the last of the sparkling grape juice I bought at 1:00 this morning. Drank it out of a mason jar like some kind of wanna-be bootlegger. But there's my rambling.
Now you see what happens when I get insomnia. So if you don't want me going off preaching like this again, ya'll better pray I get some sleep tomorrow.
"These are the things that should keep you up at night."
