I try to learn as much as I can in life because I have realized that everything I will take the time to learn I will use at some point in my life. I recently took advantage of an opportunity to serve a group of people from the homeless community in my town and I learned plenty.
Let me start by getting this off my mind. I don’t like it when I decide to do something I feel is a good thing, you know, like help the homeless, and in the middle of this great service to humanity, God shows up and does annoying things like, confronting my selfishness, complacency, religious mindsets, bad attitudes and wrong motives. Why does He do that? Oh yeah, now I remember, I asked Him to. I asked Him to make me more like Him. I asked Him to help me love people the way He does. This is God, answering my prayers! I did tell Him that that’s not quite what I had in mind. He told me he already knew that. He has such a great sense of humor.
So back to what I learned from serving the homeless.
First, I learned that God will use whoever he wants and whatever means He wants to bring clarity to my situation and to who I am. Why? Because He wants me to realize how much I need Him. Why is it so easy for my life to become more about me and my world, than about God and what He wants to accomplish?
Secondly, I learned that even my faith can become self-absorbed. Huh? How’s that work? It is subtle, very subtle. I can begin to think I have this church thing all figured out, and before I know it, I can begin to think I have God all figured out. Warning! Warning!
Next, I learned that when I ask God to open my eyes more and more to the needs of my community, He does. But when He opens my eyes, He expects me to move, to act. Is it not the church’s responsibility to take the lead in making a difference in our communities? Really all He asks is that I just start where I am, with what I have and then let Him do His amazing work.
Finally, I learned that you can learn a lot by being open to hearing from Holy Spirit, especially at times and places you might not expect.