For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19: 10 KJV
Today’s guest post is the last in the series featuring fellow bloggers I met at the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference. Erin Blake is another woman of faith whom I’ve come to admire through her inspirational posts on her blog tiethatbinds.org. I’m sure you will be able to relate to her post, “A Tireless Heart.” I appreciate her openness in sharing this experience…
Numerous times a day I travel a monotonous path from my home to wherever it is we need to be. Without having to think, I know when to swerve to avoid nasty potholes, where policemen sit in wait, and parts of the neighborhood where dogs are more likely to dart out. One afternoon something caught my eye – something looked oddly out of place. There was a man holding a cardboard sign with words written in black marker, standing in the shoulder lane of MY road.
“Hold on there, this is way too close to MY home. Someone (like a policeman) needs to tell this guy to move on down the road, to a different neighborhood.
“This man is smoking a cigarette, where does he get his money to keep up that habit?”
Days went by, and this gentleman became a fixture on my route. My thoughts morphed into, “I just don’t have any singles or cash in the car. Do I really want him coming over to the car while my children are with me?”
One afternoon Lysa TerKeurst’s words came to the forefront of my mind. Her recent bible study I was participating in discussed the story of Zacchaeus. His story is found in Luke 19. Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector who jostled along in the crowd to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he traveled through Jericho. Being short in stature, Zacchaeus was unable to see over the crowd. Zacchaeus found a sycamore tree to climb for a better view. As Jesus passed under him, He called out to Zacchaeus, “Zacchaeus, hurry, come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Lysa’s words chimed in my head focusing on that walk to Zacchaeus’s home: Zacchaeus and Jesus side by side heading home. Lysa’s focus on this well-known Bible story was on the many people in need they passed to arrive at the large sprawling home of the wealthy tax collector?
Surely Jesus would notice the man holding his sign on the shoulder of my road if He came home with me. Even more upsetting is He would notice how I drive by daily, a heart filled with excuses.
Later that day I rushed to the grocery store purchasing items I placed in a bag. Carefully I pulled into the gas station where the man stood near. Placing the bag at his feet I said, “These are for you.”
I hopped back into my car about to pat myself on the back for my Christian duty. Tap tap tap on my passenger window. When I found the corresponding button to roll the passenger window down, a young lady was standing there, wearing a look of disgust. “Just so ya know that man has a moped, credit card and bank card. He has no business standing out there.” I said a quick thank you and drove off feeling like an idiot.
Should I have not done that? Was God not urging me to help this man with a simple bag of groceries? Should I have held onto my vicious remarks and excuses?
The following morning I glanced at my phone after a beckoning “ding!” YouVersion sent out the daily Bible verse.
Galatians 6:9: Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
This verse spoke volumes to my questioning heart. I realized I have certainly grown weary especially in doing good. My life has quite a few implications of the cynical outlook mirrored in the young lady’s comments.
However, my weariness and cynicism have not a thing to do with God’s plan. Helping and serving others should be my FIRST response. What a person decides to do with help I offer in their own world is not a concern of mine. These concerns I hold onto are making me weary and losing heart.
Doing good is not about me, the way I feel about it or my opinion of others. Doing good is simply showing God’s love for others. I want to enjoy “having Jesus to visit my home,” inhabit my life. I don’t want to be tangled up in my excuses not focused on sharing God’s love.
I have not seen the man standing on the shoulder of the road since that day. Temperatures have been dropping. I pray he has a home to go to.
Thank you Lord for using my everyday drives to slow me down and examine my heart. Please soften the heart of the young lady at the gas station. I pray for my own heart to be tireless in serving only You.
Have you grown weary? Take heart and be tireless in serving only Him.
Erin Blake resides in beautiful, coastal North Carolina. After growing up in New Jersey, she made her escape to the South attending college, returning North for only short bursts. Twenty years later, Erin is married to her best friend Buddy, so aptly named. They have three gorgeous, intelligent, remarkable daughters, keeping consistent chaos running through their lives. Erin enjoys sharing her life, her love for Christ and the way God shows up in her everyday. Check out her blog at tiethatbinds.org.
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