Something happened tonight that I feel I need to share. I'm not sharing in an attempt to call out or point the finger at a particular person or group of people. However, what happened caused me to stop and ask myself the question if I have been guilty of committing the "offense" I experienced.
Tonight I took Olivia to a Vacation Bible School at a church near my house. It was the first night and instead of the usual group style VBS, this first night was a time of fun and games. There was food provided as well as bounce houses, face painting and more. Parents were encouraged to stay with their children while they participated in the activities. Great! Sounds like fun, right?
I should mention here I have never attended this church and I knew nobody. What a great opportunity to meet some new people and neighbors! Sadly, this was not the case. After an hour of milling around the different activities I realized that with the exception of the women who worked at the registration table when I first walked in, not one person had spoken to me. I saw plenty of people in conversation with each other. They were laughing and many seemed to know each other. That was when this thought struck me...
What if I wasn't a "church" person?
What if I hadn't stepped foot into a church in years, or ever in my life?
What if I was broken, lost, and hurting?
My heart was grieved as I wondered how I would feel if I was an outsider to the church world and had been courageous enough to enter this environment and nobody spoke to me. Then I wondered how many times I have been guilty of this myself. Have I been so caught up in seeing friends that I overlooked the one who wasn't a member? Have I not taken the time to notice a new face?
So, in light of how I was feeling I decided to take a moment and look around the room. I noticed a woman who had been sitting by herself for the same hour I had been there. I sat next to her and began a conversation. Sure enough, she didn't attend that church either. So I spent the next hour talking with her.
Church, we have to do better. If we can't even reach out to the ones who walk through our doors, then how could we possibly be effective at reaching those outside of our doors? Nobody there knew me so they didn't know my story or situation. What if I did not know Christ and left tonight and was in a car accident. What if I had left church without anyone even knowing I had been there? The reality is every Sunday many of us go to church and overlook those who are there with us. Do we really take the time to SEE them? Are we aware enough to recognize a new face? Do we notice when someone's eyes look a little different because they are fighting a battle and they are tired? Or do we rush past with a quick hello and carry on about our business?
Lord,
Please forgive me for every time I have overlooked someone You have placed in my path. Please help me to always keep my eyes open. Please help me to be aware of those around me, not just when I'm in the grocery store or at my child's school as we often see these as our "mission fields." Father, please help me to see those who enter Your house, but who may not know you. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity tonight to see where I may be failing by personally feeling the loneliness so many experience who are apart from You. Please help me to have Your eyes and Your heart towards all people, not just those outside of the church.
As I'm finishing this prayer, the following song came on. How timely is our God?
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