The least of these…

I have recently been struck by Matthew 25:31-46 in which Jesus (the Son of Man) separates the sheep from the goats. I have read this many times before, but this time I was deeply convicted.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:34-40

When we lived in South Africa there was so much need around, it was easy to respond to and feel like you were doing your “bit”. It was equally as easy to ignore, and to come up with justifications as to why you didn’t respond to, the need. You could feel satisfied about the fact that you were donating to a Christian charity which helps those less fortunate than yourself, you could tell yourself you were doing “your bit”. Now that we are in the United Kingdom, the same level of need isn’t staring us in the face. We can stay in a very comfortable bubble, contribute to a charity, sponsor an orphan in Africa and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done.

However, Matthew 25 doesn’t let us do that. It is hard hitting and the consequences are eternal. When I read it this time I asked myself what we were doing as a family to help the hungry, needy, sick, imprisoned and the stranger? What I realised was that this verse is incredibly personal. It is about compassion. About recognising people in need around you and responding in a practical, personal way. It is about seeing someone and responding with compassion to their unique situation. It is about seeing Jesus in every person you meet. This is about the attitude of our hearts and the way we live out our lives. It isn’t about handing over cash and the responsibility to someone else, even though supporting charities and sponsoring children is a very valuable thing to do.

I also wonder about how to involve my daughter in practically responding to the needs of others. To help her see the bigger picture and not to be swallowed up into our individualistic, consumerist culture. It would probably be easier if we were still living in South Africa, but I still need to model compassion and response for her. I need live a truly Christian life.

Morning contemplation.

This morning, I was woken up at 4.45am by my baby, who is unwell. So as we set out to take photographs this week, my head was not feeling altogether sharp. The sun was shining, which is always a bonus in the UK, but we had missed the good light. To say I was struggling to find inspiration would be an understatement. I prayed that the Lord would speak to me as we walked along the towpath. The leaf buds are just starting to poke their heads out from the branches, as spring sets in over here. A few people were out walking their dogs. It was a wonderful morning. I was walking along feeling a sense of peace and His presence, but not much photographically.

At the end of the walk, I climbed up a little hill thinking I had finished with the shoot. When I saw that the boat I had been photographing was in a much better position to shoot. I felt the Lord say to me that sometimes we just need a change of perspective. We need to go up to Him and look at the world and our own lives from His perspective. Sometimes we just get stuck where we are, up, close and personal. The questions I am asking Him today are: what situation in my own life needs heaven’s perspective? Where does my outlook need to change?  What are His thoughts on these situations?

Little children come unto me.

I know that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to people that are like little children. I know that simple faith is what is required. I love to hear my daughter pray to Jesus about all manner of things and yet, I am always slightly taken aback when her prayers are answered. This happened recently when she prayed that Jesus would help her find new friends (we have recently moved country and it has taken a while to make in-roads). The answer to her prayer was a formation of a new group and she now has a better social life than I do, she is 4. And a half.

I know all the theory about faith, trust, simple prayers, our father providing all our needs and yet in my heart I feel that I need something more. Something bigger. Maybe longer prayers with more verses quoted or maybe a powerful feeling of the Holy Spirit before my prayers are answered. I think I need a SOZO and certainly I need to do some business with a few spirits (poverty and orphan come to mind).

My own lack of faith has been confronted, not by my daughter’s simple prayers, but rather by God’s ready answers. He values her prayers. He delights in her. She is not less in His eyes and He certainly isn’t waiting for her to grow up. He loves spending time with her and she approaches Him and spends time with Him just as she is, knowing that she is loved and accepted. She will sometimes go to her bedroom and make up songs to Jesus all on her own. I have no idea what these songs are about. She isn’t doing them for us. The Bible is her favourite book, she loves asking questions about Jesus, God, Heaven, you name it. She even made a Valentines card for Jesus! I need to take a leaf out of her book and watch and learn. And pray with expectancy.

And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3