He Knows My Name

I started my day with a quick 30 minute run before my kids woke up.  My day would officially begin with camp drop-off.

My writing time awaited me on the other side of drop-off.  With my four kiddos taken care of, I relished in the rarity of a couple hours to myself.

I pulled into a parking place at my favorite coffee shop. I let out a deep breath.

I’m here.

After the hustle and bustle of the morning, I made it.  It would be worth it, I reminded myself.

I quickly gathered my things and exited my car.  My thoughts bursting and ready to be put on paper.

There was a man sitting on a bench.  He was right in front of me, practically greeting me as I closed my car door.

I decided to greet him as I would anyone.

“Good Morning!  How are you today?”

He gave me a honest answer,

“Well, I’m okay.  I’m just holding on until October when my disability benefits will kick in.  Until then, I’m homeless.”

Here I was, ready to write.  I worked hard to get to this moment.  To be alone.

{Do you feel me, Mamas?} 

But God had other plans.  Bigger plans.  Beyond just me.

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In Matt 28:19 God calls us to live out The Great Commission.  To “Go”.

In the original Greek language, the word “Go,” poreuo, means 3 things.

1)  to continue on one’s journey

2) to depart from life

3) to follow one

Summed up :: We are to go.  As we are going. Following One person.

{God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  3 in 1}

Living out the Great Commission can feel overwhelming because it’s a BIG-ASK.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”

But whether we live on the foreign mission field or in our country of origin, I believe discipleship is within our reach more than we realize.

If we start to pay attention to our goings and decide to live life intentionally, God will open up our eyes to see the people around us He wants us to impact.

Getting to know people as individuals instead of viewing people as projects makes all the difference.

If we are following a person {Jesus} in the context of a personal relationship, it only makes sense for Him to want us to pursue individuals in the context of building relationships.

Listen, this is basic but here’s the-thing. When we “go” and “do” service projects or mission trips, it doesn’t get personal until we meet the people we are serving.  Until we know their stories.  Until we know their names.

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His name is John.

He shared pieces of his story with me.

I learned about him.

I got to know him.

I genuinely cared.

I prayed with him.

I gave.

After I prayed with him, He shook my hand and we had a real-moment.  On friendship terms now, he warned me about giving money to the woman lurking around the corner. This woman, Betty, is addicted to crack and in desperation to feed her addiction she tells tall tales.

Betty approached me as I turned the corner.  She asked me if I would pray with her too.  We sat down on another bench together and I touched her dry, dirty, cracked hands.  I prayed aloud while praying in my heart that God would break the bondage of addiction that is destroying her life.  She asked for money and I took John’s advice knowing money wouldn’t help her.

John is homeless.

But he’s not just some homeless person.

He has a name.

His name is John.

Betty is homeless.

But she’s not just some homeless person.

She has a name.

Her name is Betty.

Knowing names changes how we live-out our lives on mission.  People are individuals.  Each person has a name and has a story.

People aren't projects. Click To Tweet

Each one of us wants to be treated with dignity and compassion.  Labels don’t define us. Our core needs are the same and we have more in common with people than we realize.

What if we focused on relationship-building instead of starting-projects? Click To Tweet

What if living on mission looked less organized and more organic?

What if we genuinely cared about people?

What if we learned people’s names?

Maybe our tendency towards starting-projects over relationship-building is more of a reflection of how we view ourselves, instead of just our misconception of others.

Maybe deep down, we believe we are just a project that God is working on to perfect.

Friend, you and I can know the truth and totally miss the mark!

God doesn’t call us by labels.

He doesn’t see us as projects.

We are His people.

We are His children.

 

Fear not,

for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name,

You are mine.

 Isaiah 43:1

 

 

*Disclaimer:  Names were changed in this post to protect their identity.*