Seeking Hope

In light of the devastation left by the tornado's in Moore, Shawnee, and other OK towns last week, I'm honored to see the "good" people reaching out to those in need. They (we) are providing support, shelter, food, prayer, and hope. We are lending a hand, we are giving hugs, and we are coming day after day with donations, money, equipment, and hope.

Romans 5:3-4 says "...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

This blog post was inspired by our sermon today at church. It was a great message. I'll be honest, I've only watched about 5% of the TV coverage from the storms. I don't need to wrap myself up in the stories to understand the loss and the heartbreak. I need only to look up to the heavens to understand the overwhelming support coming from the "good" people of Oklahoma, the US, and the world. I hate to see tragic events, but I love to see how quickly we come together in times of need. Status, color, age, sex ... none of those things matter when a fellow human being is in need ... in need of hope.

As we sang one of the worship songs today, I thought about the Westboro Baptist organization (I refuse to call them a church because they don't have any qualities of any church I've ever been a part of). I really don't know why they came to mind, but they did so I took a moment to close my eyes and pray for their leaders and their followers. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are "an American unaffiliated Baptist church known for their extreme ideologies," and they are currently in Moore, OK, protesting funerals, etc. The lyrics that made me think of them were:

"I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus"

As the song played, I prayed these words for the leaders and the followers of Westboro. I prayed that they would have a change of heart and that they would make things less about them and more about Jesus. I prayed that they would focus on love instead of hate, on good instead of evil, on hope instead of despair.

Then I prayed those same things for myself. I prayed that I will remember that this life is not about me, it's about Jesus, and what I can do each day to be a light in this world for Him. I may not speak in front of thousand or even millions, but I do speak to my children, my spouse, my family, my friends, my coworkers, and even strangers. I can show them God's love at a very personal level. I can be an example right where I am, and I challenge you to be an example right where you are as well. I challenge you to bring hope to someone in need.