Living With Eyes Wide Open

This past weekend I travelled 4 hours away to attend the baptism of a dear friend. Not only was she baptized on Sunday, but the whole service was her sharing her testimony before her baptism. She was saved two months ago and part of what started her transformation was receiving a flyer for the Invasion concert. She saw Brian "Head" Welch was performing and it led to her reading his book in which he shares his testimony. She went to church after finishing his book and she accepted Christ. She has been radically saved since then and is a bold witness in sharing Christ! Several of the Invasion team made the trip to be there to show her support from her new "family."


One part of her testimony has been haunting me since hearing it on Sunday. On the first day she went to church she chose a seat in the far back corner of the sanctuary. In her words she "wanted to hide, but also was praying for someone to see her." When the service was over people began leaving and she felt defeated. I should mention she has lived a past of shame and anger. She has numerous tattoos covering her body which she says she began getting in order to stop cutting herself, but to still experience the pain. On the Sunday she went to church, she began sobbing and asking God why He brought her to church only for her to be overlooked yet again. She stayed in her seat not wanting anyone to see her as she left. Finally someone approached her to comfort her and there ended up being four people (including one of the pastors) who stayed with her for over an hour after the church service to answer her questions and to lead her in accepting Christ.


I have shared her story because I think all of us are guilty of being the people in church who have overlooked the hurting sitting right in front of us. The fact that she was even in church was a miracle. Our church culture is guilty of thinking the hurting will mysteriously be drawn into our buildings, when most will never step foot inside of our doors. However, when they do, are we willing to really see them? Do we become so focused on rushing out to lunch after the service that we miss the lost sitting next to us?

Yesterday morning I watched the service from my home church online and heard this very message preached again. Hearing this twice in two days has led me to search myself regarding my ability to truly see people. Not just the people I want to see, but the people most of our society overlooks. In actuality, I believe the lost are overlooked out of our own fears, prejudices, and misconceptions. They don't fit into our "cool and hip" church culture, so we avoid reaching out to them. We fear rejection when offering Jesus should never be about us in the first place. How can we be delivered from drugs, alcohol, sexual addictions, depression, etc and yet live as if Jesus came only to rescue us?

I think of the woman healed of the issue of blood in scripture.

"Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour." Matthew 9:19-22


How many people come into our churches or into our circle of influence thinking "if only I could get a small touch of Jesus, I would be healed." For many, we will be the only example of Jesus they will ever meet. Will we even notice when they reach out for a touch? Are we willing to pause our own agendas in order to be the Jesus they need to see?