"What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance. Blending in so well that people can't see the difference and it's the difference that sets the world free." (What This World Needs- Casting Crowns)
I walked into the conference room at work to ask my mom if she had seen the news about Kate Spade. She hadn't, and when I told her what had happened, she was so shocked and upset, I had to clarify that it was Kate Spade the fashion designer. My mom has never met Kate Spade, yet upon hearing the news of her suicide, she was heartbroken. My mom was heartbroken for a woman she has never met.
That really got me thinking.
It is so easy to lose empathy for people we don't know, yet God calls us to love everyone. We are to have compassion towards each other and unbelievers. It can be so easy to look at the world with blinders on under the guise of not wanting to be desensitized. However, if we shield ourselves from it so much, we aren't being the light to the world God called us to be. Have you ever seen someone that you know is not saved and suddenly had a strong sense of compassion for them? You may or may not know them, but you can tell by the way they act they aren't saved. In an instant, your heart goes out to them. It is as if God opens your eyes and suddenly you feel empathy for someone you have never met.
We were recently in D.C for the weekend and were eating dinner at a restaurant. One of the other servers in the restaurant caught our eye. It was a guy but was dressed slightly like a girl (wearing a skirt). He came by our table a few times to refill our waters, bring more lemons, etc. and my heart suddenly went out to him. I don't even remember his name, yet it saddened my heart to look into his eyes and not see light. As nice as he was, there was a sadness lurking behind it. A sadness that comes from not having the joy of Jesus Christ.
Recently, there has been a reoccurring statement from people around me; "The world needs Jesus," or "They just need Jesus." How right these people are. The world needs Jesus and we need to tell them about Him. I was doing a devotional by Priscilla Shirer recently and she was speaking about how Satan targets us. She said:
"But, when I suspect he may be the source of it, I don't know about you, but it causes a holy indignation to rise up inside me."
Holy indignation. What a beautiful phrase. When we see people that we know don't have the light of Christ and are deceived by the ways of the world and the schemes of Satan, we should have holy indignation fired up inside of us. As Christians, we are often called "ambassadors for Christ." How about warriors for Christ? When we see someone that needs to be saved, instead of holding back, why don't we show them the love of Christ? We should see evil for what it is and instead of backing away from it, we need to stand firm, fight back, and replace it with light and truth. Fight for truth and love, and fight back against the schemes of Satan. Instead of being apathetic to what God shows us in people, how about we let the empathy burn strong and act on the fire that is inside of us.
Casting Crowns has a beautiful song called, "What if His People Prayed?" The lyrics say:
"What if the armies of the Lord, picked up and dusted off their sword. Vowed to set the captives free, and not let Satan have one more? What if the church for Heaven's sake, finally stepped up to the plate. Took a stand upon God's promise, and stormed Hell's rusty gates. What if His people prayed?"
What if we did what the song suggests? What if we fought against Satan for the people that don't have the glorious hope and light we have? How different the world would be if we took off our blinders, quit being so apathetic, put on our armor, and fought. Instead of being intimidated to silence, we need to become louder for Christ. There's a saying that "light shines brighter in the dark." If the Christians of the world let their light shine, I can only imagine we would illuminate the world.
