Change the world?!

Two things God has really placed on my heart :-)

Part I
I miss Africa more than ever before. I’m hoping to go back this summer. – This past weekend, the Thelanders (missionary surgeon & family from Gabon) were in town and I got to see them twice. Honestly, it was a huge encouragement to me and reminded me why I’m doing what I’m doing. Hearing them talk about Bongolo Hospital, and Gabon made me want to go back all the more. Why?

Because I want to do something that matters. This may seem very idealistic, but I want to change the world. I want to help the sick. I want to tell people that there is a God who is crazy in love with them. I want to make my life count…

Here in the United States, I sit in a college classroom 5 days a week. Most of my classes are rather useless and don’t at all contribute to my career aspirations of being a medical missionary. I am the first one to get wrapped up in the technology and materialism that makes up our culture; frankly, I’m disgusted with it. In this culture, it is so hard to dig through everything and find God because our lives are forcibly refocused on the busyness that is American life…Constantly, we are running from one activity to the next. We, as Americans do not take life leisurely at all. Stressed, we go from one thing to the next. We don’t take time to savor life and enjoy those around us. Honestly, this lifestyle sucks the joy out of so many aspects of our lives. And here’s the thing…I don’t know if that can be remedied in a culture that is so ridiculously busy.

I don’t know…Call it discontentment, call it whatever, but that’s where I’m at :-)

Part II
Lately God has been challenging me with how to love people well. I’ve been carefully looking at 1 Corinthians 13 and the first few chapters of Hosea. What absolutely AMAZES me is the love that God has for us. He is CRAZY, insane in love with us, his creation. The book of Hosea describes God’s love for Israel and correlates it to the prophet Hosea’s love with Gomer. What overwhelmed me was the love of the Lord for Israel and the love of Hosea for his unfaithful wife, Gomer. Again and again Gomer (like the nation of Israel) abandons her husband. She forsakes him for lovers, for prostitution and according to Hosea 2:13, she even forgets him. Hosea exemplifies the perfect love that the apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13 by continually receiving Gomer again. Hosea buys her clothes, oil and wine and does not even take credit. Despite her repeated adultery and tarnished reputation, the Lord still loves Israel and calls her his people once again. The Lord encourages Hosea to love her (2:23, 3:1). Acting out of never-failing love, Hosea buys her even though she is not worthy of his love and forgiveness. There are SO many parts of Hosea that I just love, but what blows my mind the most is in chapter 2, verse 14…God talks about wooing Israel, romancing her and making her vulnerable to Him…He continues on in verse 17 to say that he will remove the names of the Baals from her lips, meaning that God will cleanse the lips of Israel. God continues on in verse 19 and 20 to say that he will betroth Israel to himself forever, with righteousness, justice, love, compassion and faithfulness. Despite Israel’s actions and unfaithfulness, God LOVES. He loves the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love which is PERFECT. God does not remember the errors of Israel’s or our past…He forgives and welcomes Israel back with faithfulness meaning that he will be faithful even though Israel was not. He loves with righteousness by cleansing Israel…That kind of love is SO perfect.
I stand back amazed at the love that God shows humanity. Despite our continual unfaithfulness, he loves us. Imagine, if we as a society, could take captive this concept of love. Imagine what the world would be like if we as humanity learned to love well. Imagine if despite what people have done to us, despite their repeated unfaithfulness and despite their constant tendency to disappoint we loved. Imagine if we truly loved. What would the world be like? If humanity were as loving, forgiving and devoted to one another as Hosea to Gomer or God to Israel then we would not recognize the world.

This whole concept isn’t new, so much as I really want to rise to the challenge. I WANT to love well. Because, it is when we love well that God can use us to reflect His love and through that glorify God and change the world.