Valerie Rae Hanneman
1 John 3:17-19 (The Message) “If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality.”
There was a time when I lived behind a facade of an upwardly mobile woman. I worked hard in my profession to be the best that I could possibly be. I started out as a bookkeeper for the organization that I work for. I worked hard and learned as much as I could. I had aligned myself with the right skills and the right people so that when an opportunity to advance came up - the promotion was mine. Still playing the upwardly mobile success story, I dressed in the right clothes, lived in the right area, drove the right car. I was climbing the ladder of success - kissing rear to those who were higher on the rungs than me - ignoring or using those below me. The only time I reached out to another person - was to knock them off the ladder. Cold-heartedly ambitious - I was the American success story in the making. But I wasn’t very happy.
I have a friend named Biana. Biana also looks like the American success story with a career in nursing and owning her own home. Biana is an incredible servant of Christ. She went on a short term mission trip to Nigeria last year. It made a real change in how Biana looks at the world and serving Jesus. She heard Jesus say, “Who will go for Me?” and she answered, “Here am I, LORD, send me.” In April Biana will get on a plane. She will no longer have a job, she will no longer have a home. She gave them both up to go and work among AIDS victims in Nigeria, one of the poorest countries in this world. She leaves her family, her friends, everything that is safe and secure in her world to follow Jesus’ call. And here’s the kicker - Biana isn’t a twenty-something out for an adventure before she settles down and gets serious about her life. Biana is a grandmother, she is 53 years old. At a time of life when most of us are getting serious about planning for retirement - Biana is throwing it all over to go to Nigeria.
I have another friend, Norm. Norm is also the epitome of the American success story. Norm is also an incredible servant of Jesus. Norm went to Nigeria as well. He used his vacation time at work and a great deal of his own money to go there. He has also gone on several mission trips to Mexico willingly driving the church bus full of people - again using his vacation time and his own money for the privilege of driving. As his colleagues trade stories about week-long vacations in Disneyland, Norm talks about a week of painting churches and having Vacation Bible School in the slums of Ensenada.
The world looks at Norm & Biana and gives them lip service for their “humanitarianism” They give them accolades with their mouths and - on the surface - they mean them. But deep down inside - where the truth lives - they think that Biana, Norm and others like them are nuts. You know - “the wheel is turning - but the hamster is dead” type of nuts. The idea of putting God before self, putting others before self, putting service before self is a concept that is not only foreign to them - but they are happy keeping it that way. They are upwardly mobile - and that’s the way that they want it. They may give praises to Norm, Biana, and others but they are certainly not going to become downwardly mobile just to help others who are less fortunate. They are not going to give up what they have worked so hard to obtain to live among AIDS people in a third world county or work among the children existing in the slums of Mexico. They might throw a little bit of money at it - but they won’t get their hands dirty in it.
What would possess a person to give up their home, their job, their life to go to Nigeria, a place so far away from everything known and comfortable. Why would a person give up their vacation and their money to work among dirty little street urchins that the rest of the world ignores.
Simple - it’s because of that upside-down, turned around Jesus.
Jesus says that anything we give up for Him is nothing compared to what we have in Him. He says that the servant’s heart is the heart He most desires. He says that those who do for the least of these does it for Him. He says that the world may secretly mock us because we are downwardly mobile but He will raise us higher than the highest stars. He says that when we serve others on earth we are really serving Him, and although our pay for serving Him may not be much on earth - our retirement benefits are out of this world.
Ask Biana why she is going to Nigeria. Ask Norm why he uses his vacations to go to Mexico. Ask Ilene Luna why she visits women in prison. Ask Jennifer Pittman why she goes to Laos. Ask Stan & Debbie Jenks why they are so focused with their time and energies on “Celebrate Recovery” Ask Dennis Galloway why he has taught Sonday morning classes for so many years. Ask Willie why he stands in that pulpit. The answer will be the same from each of them - and from all of the rest of the incredible servants in our communities of faith. They will tell you that it is everything about serving Jesus and nothing about the world’s values.
The world says that when we sacrifice to serve Jesus we are downwardly mobile. What they don’t know is that they are the ones who are failing at life. We who serve Jesus are not only upwardly mobile - we are eternally upwardly mobile. What the world values and offers will pass away - it isn’t real - it doesn’t last. But what we do for others in Jesus name we do for Jesus. And that serving Him will never pass away
You know what I have learned in these past 10 years? The American dream - it’s just smoke and mirrors - an illusion of happiness. The Jesus dream of serving Him and serving others - it is all that is real. I am happy - really happy.
LORD Jesus, You first. First over what the world values. First over what I possess. First above all else. Be sovereign in my life.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministries of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at February 17, 2006 08:48 PM