Loving the Least of These

Ive been reading a book recently called The Irrisistible Revolution. I finished it the other night, and am now reading it for the second time. This book is rocking my world. In it Shane Claiborne talks about a chapel speaker named Rich Mullins and how he spoke about how we as Christians are "All into that born again thing, which is great. We need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me that I have to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God, I can tell you that you have to sell everything you have and give it to the poor, because Jesus said that to one guy to...But I guess thats why God invented highlighters, so we can highlight the parts we like and ignore the rest."

Lately Ive wondered where exactly I will end up in life..the college years are coming..and so Ive asked myself, do i really want to go to college, if so, what do I major in? Ive also thought about moving to Honduras, but do I go to college first? Do I take online classes? Do I just move here and see what God has in store for me? The more I read this book, the more I think that there has got to be more to life than what America is telling me. The world is telling me, go to college, get a degree, get a good job, make good money, start a family, blah blah blah. Everyday I find it harder and harder to buy into this way of thinking. Im also finding that maybe Rich was right..what if Jesus really did mean that? Then what? What would my excuse be? "Well i just thought that I needed to have a lot of money and a nice house, drive a nice car..." when the rest of the world is living in poverty so that few of us can live as we please? It makes you wonder, how is this living in the Kingdom of Heaven NOW? When so many run the streets barefoot, no where they can safely call home, no food to eat. You know, once you've seen poverty, its hard to turn your head and just forget the faces you've seen, the hearts that are hurting, the moms with no food to give their kids, the 10 year old boy who sells sticks of gum on the street in attempt to make enough money to get something to eat for that day. These are the things that capture your heart, they will forever remain imprinted on my soul. What if we did sell everything we have and give it to the poor? How different would this world look? Shane Claiborne also said," Jesus was crucified not for helping poor people but for joining them. That is the Jesus we follow." Thats the Jesus I want to follow. I dont know exactly what that means for my life yet..but I have a pretty good idea. This way of doing life is what is making more sense than anything else is these days.

- sam