I Dare You

"...the hard part is walking with someone through their pain, being family 2 people who have none, literally making ur home someone elses 2, living on less so somebody else can have more. n that somebody does not live thousands of miles away. they r ur neighbors or the people that u regularly see living on the street. it doesn't mean skimming alittle off my bank account, because alittle bit of my overflow is so much more 2 "those people." maybe God needs ME 2 b uncomfortable 4 the comfort of someone else..."

This was my aunt's response to the last blog post.
I love her response because they aren't just words. She actually lives it. She speaks from real stuff.
And it challenges me.
Because somehow I assume being a missionary is "out there." You know, only in foreign countries or in mission-like settings. But the truth is, Jesus actually said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
Ouch.
It kind of blows my nice little packaged mindset out of whack.
It's so easy to pass out tracts and hang out with city kids when your surrounded by people doing the same. You get to look good. Your ego is helped enormously. It's true. I've been there. Some days I'm still there.
But what about the days you live a normal life?

Yesterday I found myself shaking in my boots. (Ok, so it was cold and rainy, but still).
"I don't know WHAT I'm doing, God. I guess you know."
Small clusters of people stood outside, holding umbrellas and conversing. Rather timidly, I walked up to the first group I saw. A middle aged woman stood there, along with a middle aged man and a boy who looked close to my age. "You look cold," the older man said, holding the umbrella up so I could be dry. All I did was offer them the little bags of cookies I had brought. The woman eventually walked away, and I was left with the 2 men. Paul and Brandon.
Somehow, homeless people become more real to you when they have names.
It wasn't a long conversation. Just exchanging pleasantries and the like.
But as I walked back to my car and drove away, something inside me wanted to go back again. And again.
"If we are the body of Christ- and Christ came not for the healthy but the sick- we need to be fully present in the places where people are most broken." (Mike Yankoski)
I could share many more stories of encounters when simply walking down the street, but the story isn't finished. There is more to be written. 

So I dare you.
Go look for a Brandon or a Paul. They're closer than you think.
They are your neighbor.

http://barefootmissionary.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-finally-obeyed.html
http://beginningofthewatches.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/247/