And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:40
People are people
Unless we live as hermits in the woods of northern Maine, off the grid, we all have people in our lives. The Apostle Paul says (Acts 17) that God places each of us in specific generations and locations. Think about the people in your circles—extended family, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, people in your church, the nice folks who work at the local market or cafe, old friends from high school, the person you have a conversation with while walking the dog, and so on. These are the people God has placed in your life to bless.
Sometimes I want to go to a faraway mission field because I secretly think people will be different. You know, more lovable, more receptive, more thankful. But people are people, everywhere. People are sinful and broken, selfish and proud—all of them. They are interesting and beautiful, sacred and glorious—all of them. The truth is that wherever we go on the planet, we’ll find that people are people.
Your people
We’ve probably all heard someone talking about “finding your people.” Kids who struggled socially in high school are told, “Oh, just wait till you go to college. You’ll find your people there.” Sure, if we are fortunate, we may find a good little community of people who make us feel like we belong. But those in our narrow community who think and live and even dress like us aren't the only people in our lives.
From God’s perspective, all the ordinary and sometimes annoying people who surround you—areyour people. The grumpy ones. The shallow ones. The overly serious ones. The crass ones. The lazy ones. The cocky ones. The drunk ones. The glamorous ones. The ugly ones. The mentally ill ones. The dishonest ones. The opinionated ones. God has placed all of them in your life. Each one was made in the image of God.
Seeing as God sees
Here's my encouragement: Pay attention to the colorful cast of characters God placed in your life. Don’t write anyone off. Don’t think, “That person would never be a Christian.” Don’t push anyone off because you don’t like their personality or political views or punk rock hairstyle or penny loafers. We need to look deeper at the image of God in all people. Underneath the rubble of a thousand unattractive qualities lies the hidden image of God.
Seeing people as God sees people changes everything. It frees us from our missional restlessness. I’m not saying we shouldn’t venture out to a new field of mission. The Lord may lead us to do that. But most of us are called to love and serve the people around us.
As you go through your week, take note of who you interact with. I encourage you to notice the cashier. Notice the mail carrier. Notice the little family in the park. Who are the people you see daily? Who are the people you work with? Who do you see when you pick up your kids from school? These are your people. Bless them.
Simplicity of newbies
At this point, after 39 letters, you know what I mean when I say, “bless them.” Our mission is to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere we go. We spread that knowledge by both words and actions. We are messengers who not only speak a message but display it. Keep it simple. Be with people. Be fully present. Be kind. Be generous. Bless people. Let God open the doors to share the message of the gospel in His perfect time.
I'm intentionally ending on a simple note. I know there is an art to spreading the message of Jesus that requires skill and knowledge. There are principles to learn. But—have you ever noticed that some of the most effective people spreading the gospel are brand new Christians? Why is that? They barely know the basics of theology. They have no mission or seminary training. They don’t even have much experience living the Christian life. What they do have, though, is love, lots and lots of bursting divine love. And they lavish it on people everywhere they go. And do you know what happens? Love disarms people. Hearts open. The gospel spreads.
I wonder if those of us who have been Christian for many years overcomplicate sharing Christ? Perhaps we overthink it? Maybe we just need to get back to simple? Try loving people and treating people the way you would treat Jesus Himself. And see what happens.
Lastly
Well, this is week 40! I hope that these letters have inspired you to display God’s love in your corner of the world. I’d love to hear how the letters impacted you. Were there any specific ones that stood out? Were they too long or too short? What could I do better next time? Being so enveloped in what I’m writing makes it quite difficult for me to critique my own work. So let me know your thoughts. It’ll help me to grow.
Sometimes I wonder why anyone should bother writing anything new. Mountains of books, crafted by saintly men and women over the last 2000 years, line our bookshelves (at least for American Christians). But God uses fresh voices in each generation to push His kingdom forward. That is my desire: to be a fresh voice in this generation, moving people into the full expression God created them to be.
Thanks for joining me over the last 40 weeks.
— Scott A