But for the Grace of God

This Saturday I spent about 8 excruciating hours at a Lion's Club district meeting.  There were 200 lions (people) there and I felt as if it were 200 senators or representatives.  Each second dragged by as if an eternity with death knocking at my door as the blood flow to my brain continued to slow with each moment.  Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but it was pretty rough.

Then for about 5 minutes within the 8 hours there was a breath of fresh air.  A speaker from the international directors from Brooklyn, New York addressed the audience.  For most of his speech I was locked in a state of limbo wondering if I would be able to restart my brain after the day, but for a few minutes in between the nonsense was words of truth and words of conviction.

He entered into a story of how one Lion's Club had helped him realize the true need around us.  He participated in some sort of homeless service when the light bulb went on for him.  And with his story, the light bulb began to burn brighter for me.

As he looked into the eyes of those families in such need in the metro areas of Brooklyn, he thought, "there but for the grace of God, me and my family could be there (said Douglas Alexander of a homeless shelter)."

How true is that?

If we had simply been born into a different family, a different country, a different continent, we'd be devastatingly poor.  We obviously had no control over this; it was only the grace of God.

And this is why he became involved with Lions Club.  Because the light went on in his heart that the lowest of all of us, could have been us had God birthed us into a different life.  And now, his mission is to do exactly what Jesus has called us to: give sight to the blind, food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless.  Is this not all of our missions?

Why do we spend so much on time on the sidelines?  Why have I spent 32 hours over the last 3 weeks playing Zelda on Wii instead of giving sight to the blind, food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless???

Lord, please forgive me.  Recapture my heart.  And teach me to give myself in service to our brothers and sisters in need.