The Least of These...

So, Im pretty sure we all know this familiar verse from the Bible...

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ~~Matthew 25:40

The question is, though, who exactly ARE 'the least of these'?

There is one obvious answer to this, but a recent devotion we had really changed the way I think of this verse and the way I see others. I feel compelled to share because I believe it has the potential to do the same for you if youve never heard it the way Im about to explain it...

The obvious answer:
My entire life I have been taught that the least of these includes the lost, the poor, the fatherless, the widow, the orphan, the lonely, etc, etc, etc. I think that is what we have all been taught... and that is absolutely correct. After all the Bible does tell us in James 1.27: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. And there are countless other verses that speak on this issue.

The potentially not-so-obvious answer:
However, there is a greater overall theme in this passage. There is one thing that these people groups we generally consider to be part of "the least of these" all have in common...

THEY DONT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER.

In our humanness, we like to pretend we always have it all together. We put on a facade. A mask. But who does have it all together? I know I dont, and to be willing to acknolwedge this is something that many of us FLI'ers have been learning in a huge way this semester. None of us 'have it all together'. We all have our own issues and things to deal with and work through. In reality, there is only one person in all of history who has had it all together. His name is Jesus Christ and He desperately wants us to realize it is OKAY for us to not have it all together... thats why He came to this earth, died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day. Thats why He tells us in Matthew 11.28: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. I certainly am tired of trying to have it all together all the time, and I am so glad I can rest in the arms of my Savior, Jesus Christ.


So, I guess we are all in this together... none of us have it together. I am one of 'the least of these'... and so are you. Every person I pass each day is one of the least of these, and they deserve the same care and compassion from me that I give (hopefully) to the people groups that this "label" is traditionally reserved for in our churches. Let's change that. Ultimately, this issue comes down to one of "loving your neighbor as yourself", and remembering who our NEIGHBOR is (I talked about this in my March 10 post!).

My neighbor is one of the least of these. You are one of the least of these. I am one of the least of these. I truly believe that this is how Christ has called us to live, and if we all begin to live in this frame of mind, we could start a revolution in this world. What are we waiting for? Let's do it.

Crazy side notes:
- It snowed today. Wow.
- My camera offically died a few days ago. I have a new one, but I'm still trying to figure out how to use it.
- Here are a few pictures I stole from friends on Facebook to hold you over until I learn!


Me and my good friend, Caitlin VanWagoner


Clogging it up at the FLI Follies!


The crazy hiking group on Red Mountain at sunrise


Caitlin Hetzel and I... huffing and puffing up the Incline

See everyone back in NC next week...

Grace and Peace!

Go Make A Mess!

Well I just finished up my last final after a very busy week and a half! From Thursday until today we have had 5 different papers due, as well as two finals. Its fun to look back, though, and realize how well prepared I was for that kind of workload. For the past three semesters of my life, I have had class all day, every day AND had two to three assignments due each week. So finally, Im not the one stressing out about a large workload and fussing because "those teachers just don't understand". I suppose youre not really supposed to find joy in others' pain... but I do. Its so exciting, yet so sad all at the same time that everything is drawing to an end. I have made some crazy awesome friends that I am looking forward to keeping in contact with (and, I can visit pretty much any state now and have somewhere free to stay. ha.). However, I am also looking forward to living real life again, because as fun as this has been, I can assure you that it wasn't even close to real life!

I feel like I have learned so much cool stuff and been equipped with so many great leadership tools, but I am ready to share all of that now. I feel prepared and I am eager to pass on what Ive learned to someone else. I guess I feel a little like a bottle of coke right now. I've been shaken to the core this semester and I am just about to the point of erupting like a volcano with all of these tools and things Ive been given. And yes... I will defintely make a mess when I explode (hopefully!). I want to spew out God's love everywhere I go. I want to rock someone's world by permanently impacting the way they relate to God.

I think sometimes we like to try to put God into this nicely wrapped little package and make Him into this God that does things in a nice and neat little manner when He comes into our lives. God can't be contained in a box. In fact, we serve an infinite God who has broken into a finite world! How cool is that?! Furthermore... I hate to break it to ya, but God likes it when we make messes by spewing out His love everywhere we go. He's not like your mom after you spilled a coke all over the brand new carpet. He rejoices in the fact that we are so full of joy that we cant hold it in any longer.

So this isnt what I was going to write about when I started this, but since I have effectively gone off on a crazy tangent, maybe I should stop while Im ahead. Let's be honest, I have no idea if I wrote above even makes sense. But such is life when God gets hold of you, shakes you to the core, and gets you high off of the joy of learning about His nature and His unique design for me and the world I live in.

So dont hold in the love youve been given by God. Go make a mess!

God Is In The Room

So, I should be working on my 5 papers that are due this coming week, but instead I am going to tell you about the most amazing day I just had! It all began when I got up at 4:30 am with plans to take a short hike up Red Mountain to see the sunrise. We arrived and began our hike, which was much more strenuous than anticipated. The view was beautiful though! We had a great time up at the top of the trail fellowshipping, reading the Bible, worshipping, and praying together. At some points on the trail, we could see a very famous and EXTREMELY strenuous hike called The Incline. We jokingly said that we should go do it since we were so close and such expert hikers (NOT!). Somewhere along the way, our jokes turned serious, and we decided to go for it.

Now you should know that The Incline is no normal hike, and most sane people who hike it do it while they are fresh... not after theyve already hiked 3 miles. So we grabbed some breakfast in nearby Manitou Springs and headed off. Here are some interesting facts on The Incline:
- It is 1.1 miles long, straight up, with grades anywhere from 40- 68%
- 2000 foot elevation gain from bottom to top, which is more than the Empire State Building
- It's basically like climbing an endless set of stairs (which used to be a tourist railway)
- It is the highest set of stairs in the world
- It is used often for Army and Air Force training exercises
- About 1/8 of the way up we saw a No Trespassing sign and thought, "Hmmmmm..." Well, apparently it is not legal for "law abiding citizens" to climb. So, YES, I just broke the law. I trespassed... along with the hundreds of other people that hike the trail each day. Oops. :)

The Bottom Looking Up... Hello Stairs!!!


The Top Looking Down


So we made it and it was super fun, but not without LOTS of hard work, perserverance, and feeling like I might throw up every 10 minutes. Sweet! After we finally made the 4 mile hike back down, we decided we needed a little rest before we took on our next challenge and headed back home. Fun fun!

Anyways, now for my words of wisdom. I have so many things that I could choose to write about, and it is so hard to choose just one! I suppose that is actually a positive thing though! So last week in our Marriage and Family Studies class we talked about parenting. As someone who isnt even married and doesnt really have any prospects, my first instinct was to just daydream for 3 hours. As we began class though, our matins time really caught my attention. It was about this concept: God is in the room. The devotional can actually be found here if youd like to read it for yourself. In essence, the devo talks about what our homes might begin to look like if we lived by the motto, "God is in the room." How might parents treat their children differently during moments of anger and frustration if they stopped a moment to remind themselves that God really is in the room. He also talks about how we simply pray at mealtimes, say "amen", and then pretend like that magic word is some kind of curtain that we can pull down in front of heaven. Ah hah!!! This doesnt just apply to families though.

Throughout the semester I have had a lot of time to reflect on how I can love my students in a godly manner when there are so many restrictions put on teachers. My first thought has always been that I would do whatever I wanted anyways, and then if I got fired then that would just be how it was. But I have come to realize that there are many other questions that along with that stance... How does my disobedience to authority reflect on the One I am serving? If I were to lose my job for some reason, does that potentially cut me off from ever having an influence in that sphere of society again? Even though this stance may not necessarily be a wrong one, I now am of the opinion that there are better ways to go about making the love of Christ known in public schools in an attractively winsome way.

During this matins time, I felt that God was speaking to me about how to be an attractively winsome teacher and co-worker. First, I must acknowledge that God is in the room- my classroom specifically. If I can brand this thought and image into my mind, how much more patience might I have with that one child who gets on my last nerve? Second, in the time that I have been here, I have made a commitment to myself that I will pray over the seats of my students each morning before school begins. I would encourage other teachers who read this to do the same! What a difference could we make in the life of a child and in schools if we brought them before God each day asking for His direction and guidance with each child who crosses our path? Not only will I pray over the seats of my students each morning, but I will have to make sure that when I say "amen" for the bell rings that I am not pulling that curtain down and shutting God out. You see, we really cant shut God out anyways. He resides in our homes and classrooms. He hates being ignored too, but how many times have we ignored God and pretended as though He wasnt really there with us?

And while we are at it, let's carry this principle over into the Student or Children's Ministry at church? What if part of getting our classroom prepped before the lesson each Sunday or Wednesday was to pray over the chairs in room for the students that will fill them? What in the world might happen in the hearts of our students if we fervently prayed for their hearts and other needs? God has always told us to pray and to seek His face in all that we do. He has always told us to present our requests to Him. He has always told to pray without ceasing? So why dont we take him seriously so many times?

Prayer is a conversation with God. It acknowledges to God that we know that He is in room and that we know He can guide through anything and want to give Him control.

So take a minute to stop, wherever you may be, and acknowledge that GOD IS IN THE ROOM... ( and no... He wont leave the building like Elvis did.) :)